India is unlikely to halt using Covishield vaccine, which has been flagged by many European countries, as it continues to be the mainstay of India’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. Putting it off even temporarily could disrupt the entire programme, sources in the know said on Sunday.
However, authorities said they are not averse to idea of evaluating all serious adverse events following immunization (AEFI) more stringently in the light of concerns which forced as many as nine European countries to briefly suspend the vaccine, which is jointly developed by Oxford University and pharma giant AstraZeneca. Ireland became the latest European country to halt its use on Sunday
In India, the same vaccine is produced by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India and is marketed under the brand name Covishield. Covishield is used for nearly 80 per cent of over 2.6 crore Covid-19 vaccinations carried out so far in the country.
N K Arora, an advisor to the National AEFI committee on Saturday…