Congress – Minister Spat over Efficacy of Covaxin

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: The compulsive critic Manish Tiwari, a senior Congress leader, received a mouthful from the union health minister Harsh Vardhan for expressing doubts over the efficacy and safety of one of the two vaccines that formed part in India’s massive immunization drive on Saturday.

Though some doctors had also questioned the urgency with which the Dugs Controller General of India gave emergency use authorization to “Covaxin” developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech even before it entered Phase III trial, the health minister targeted the Congress leader for raising a question mark on the “Made in India” vaccine.

Within minutes of the prime minister Narendra Modi giving the green signal for the launch of the world’s biggest inoculation drive armed with both Covaxin and Covishield for a “decisive victory” over the pandemic, Tiwari had attacked the Centre over the shot and also asked why government functionaries were not taking the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Many eminent doctors have raised questions with regard to the efficacy and safety of Covaxin with the government saying that people will not be able to choose as to which vaccine they would like to take. This goes against the entire doctrine of informed consent,” Tiwari said.

Without bothering to cross-check who among the first recipients of the vaccines including Covaxin which were administered to some leading doctors in Delhi and elsewhere in the country, Tiwari added, “If the vaccine is so safe and reliable and the efficacy of the vaccine is beyond question then how is it that not a single functionary of the government has stepped forward to get themselves vaccinated as it has happened in other countries around the world?”

Within minutes Harsh Vardhan hit back sharing photos of frontline workers receiving the shot. Accusing Tiwari and the Congress party of being passionate about spreading distrust and rumours, he tweeted, “Open your eyes, sharing photos of eminent Doctors & Govt functionaries getting inoculated.”

The spat, however, did not end here. Giving example of Norway, Tiwari continued his tirade against the Modi government and said, “Concerns that I have articulated are real & not imagined. It is not Fear Mongering. Look what is happening in Norway. It may be a different vaccine but do not hide behind vaccine nationalism. Expected better of you Sir,” Tiwari tweeted in response to Vardhan’s post on Twitter.

He was referring to the death of at least 23 people shortly after receiving their first dose of the vaccine in Norway. According to the Norwegian Medicines Agency quoted by some news agencies, 13 have been autopsied, with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail, elderly people.

Expressing similar concerns as did Tiwari, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi on Saturday requested the medical superintendent to vaccinate them with Oxford University – AstraZeneca developed and SII manufactured “Covishield” and not Covaxin.

In a letter to the medical superintendent, the association said the resident doctors were “a bit apprehensive” about Covaxin and might not participate in the immunisation drive in large numbers thus defeating the purpose of the exercise if they were not administered Covishield.

“We have come to know that the COVID-19 vaccination drive is being conducted by the hospital today. Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech is being preferred in our hospital over Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute.

“The residents are a bit apprehensive about the lack of complete trial in case of Covaxin and might not participate in huge numbers thus defeating the purpose of vaccination. We request you to vaccinate us with Covishield which has completed all stages of trial before its roll-out,” the letter stated.

While most other non-BJP chief ministers preferred to maintain studied silence over the efficacy and safety of the two vaccines, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took the centre stage advising people not to worry over the safety of Covaxin keeping faith on the Indian scientists and doctors who have certified the efficacy and safety of the vaccine before cleared by the DCGI.