Representational image  |  Photo Credit: PTI
New Delhi: The Central government on Monday dismissed the reports that claimed expired vaccines against COVID-19 are being administered in the country terming them false and misleading.
“There have been some media reports alleging that expired vaccines are being administered in India under its national COV1D-19 vaccination programme. This is false and misleading and is based on incomplete information,” the government said in a statement.
According to the government, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had earlier approved the extension of the shelf life of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and SII’s Covishield vaccines to 12 months and 9 months, respectively.
“The CDSCO on October 25, 2021, in response to M/s Bharat Biotech International Limited’s letter no: BBIL/RA/21/567 has approved the extension of shelf life of Covaxin (Whole Virion, Inactivated Coronavirus Vaccine) from 9 months to 12 months. Similarly, the shelf life of Covishield has been extended by the National Regulator from 6 months to 9 months on February 22, 2021,” the statement read.
It further stated that the shelf life of vaccines has been extended by the National Regulator based on comprehensive analysis and examination of stability study data furnished by the vaccine manufacturers.
‘India’s vax drive one of world’s most successful’
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) stated that India’s national COVID-19 vaccination programme has been one of the most successful and largest vaccination programmes compared with the many developed western nations with a significantly low population base to vaccinate.
“Since the start of the National COVID vaccination drive on January 16, 2021, India has administered over 90 per cent of the first dose and 65 per cent of the second dose to its eligible citizens. In the drive, India has achieved several milestones unprecedented in the world, including administering over 100 crore doses in less than 9 months, administering 2.51 crore doses in a single day and administering 1 crore doses per day on several occasions,” the MoHFW said.