‘Providing a vaccine to a healthy person without knowing the statistical probability of protection is unethical’

Dr. Vineeta Bal, immunologist and Faculty, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, and former scientist, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, disagrees with the emergency use approval given to Covaxin, the COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech, on the grounds that there was no evidence yet on if and how it provided protection. Excerpts from an interview with The Hindu’s Jacob Koshy.

Two vaccine candidates have been given emergency use approval in India — Covishield and Covaxin. Both have weaknesses in terms of what is known about them. Two full doses of Covishield in overseas trials showed 62% efficacy, but we don’t know how safe and immunogenic it is in Indians. Covaxin has some safety and immunogenicity data but absolutely no efficacy data. From what’s publicly known, are both these vaccines at…