India's Modi receives Covaxin COVID-19 jab

COLOMBO (News1st): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Covaxin coronavirus vaccine manufactured in India today. This was in launching the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country. The Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine was developed jointly by Bharat-Biotech India and the Indian Medical Research Institute. The Indian Prime Minister was inoculated with the vaccine against a backdrop where there is controversy over the Covaxin vaccine manufactured in India. The Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine, currently used in Sri Lanka, is manufactured by Serum Institute in India. The Medicines Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka and the Russian manufacturer have held online discussions regarding the Sputnik V vaccine. The NMRA added that the response has been positive. The National Drug Regulatory Authority said it had requested in writing the facts presented by them. Meanwhile, the State Pharmaceutical Corporation has requested the approval of the Medicines Regulatory Authority for the use of Sinopharm, a Chinese vaccine. This is in addition to the Russian vaccine and the Covaxin vaccine. The State Pharmaceutical Corporation said it was in talks with the relevant parent company to obtain the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health states that there is no link between the decrease in reported cases of Covid infections and increasing vaccinations in the last few days. Its Chief Epidemiologist, Specialist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that the decrease in the number of patients was previously projected. Specialist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that the increase in the number of people travelling during the holiday season in late December had contributed to the increase in infections and added that the situation has been brought under control since then. The chief epidemiologist said the vaccine had not yet been released widely and so did not have an effect on the spread of the disease.