The Centre has asked the states to take appropriate measures to counter the spread of unfounded and misleading rumours regarding the safety of the two Covid-19 vaccines being administered in the country.
In a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories today that, the centre has advised states to take penal action against those spreading “unfounded and misleading rumours” about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the country.
Referring to “rumour-mongering, particularly by vested interests”, the centre said both Covid vaccines in use in India, had been found to be “safe and immunogenic” and spreading rumours could cause “unwarranted doubts among people at large”.
“Such kind of rumour mongering, particularly by vested interests, can create unwarranted doubts among people at large, and there is, therefore, a need to check all kinds of unfounded scare-mongering relating to the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccines,” the letter said.
Last week, another letter written by the Union Home Secretary, suggested that states to use existing provisions under the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code, and recommended them to “counter the spread of all such kind of false information… as well as promptly disseminate factual messages”.
On January 16, the coronavirus vaccination campaign began across the country, and the centre gave emergency use approval to two vaccines – Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Covishield that was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute.
VG Somani, the DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) declared both vaccines to be “110 per cent safe”
Though the decision to approve Covaxin, triggered a row with critics pointing to a lack of data from the third and final phase of trials; espcially this phase tests how a vaccine’s efficacy.
The centre said its decision was based on “a tremendous amount of immunogenicity and safety data” from the first two phases and that vaccine had been allowed in “clinical trial mode” which means all those getting Covaxin in the vaccination drive had to sign consent forms beforehand.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and other senior doctors from all around the country have already expressed faith in the covid vaccines.
However, many showed their concerns about Covaxin, including doctors in both Delhi and Karnataka. They have gone on record saying that it was a matter of “great concern” that the centre had approved a vaccine with unknown Phase III trial results.