Combating Covid: IMA allays fears around Covishield, Covaxin

Ahead of the vaccination drive, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday put the fears around the safety and efficacy of the vaccines at rest.

Calling the misinformation around vaccines on social sites "unfortunate", the medical body said, "these rumours are proving more harmful than the disease itself."

The IMA has launched a massive public awareness drive to fight the myths surrounding vaccines. Most of these statements have come at a time when the Centre's health ministry has already put out a set of guidelines regarding the vaccination program.

Recently, some leaders of the opposition made remarks raising doubts over giving approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. They claimed that Covaxin was yet to clear the Phase-III trials. Later, the Union Health Ministry refuted the claim and told that both the vaccines are equally immunogenic.

The centre has given approval to two vaccines for Covid-19. One of them is Covishield, developed through collaboration between AstraZeneca, Oxford University and the Pune-based Serum Institute of India. The other one is indigenous Covaxin, developed and manufactured by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The IMA also wrote to Union Health Ministry on Thursday, expressing solidarity with the vaccination drive. It also praised the scientists who came up with the vaccines in such a short time.

The Indian Medical Association is a voluntary national orgsation of doctors that looks after the medical activities in the country and well being of doctors.

( With inputs from ANI )