Harsh Vardhan asks Chhattisgarh minister not to sensationalise a 'non-issue' after he shows concern over Covid vaccine

New Delhi, February 12

Countering the inhibitions about Bharat Biotech's Covaxin raised by Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo publicly, Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to him asking him not to sensationalise a "non-issue" and instaed divert focus to step up measures to improve the "abysmally low vaccination coverage" in the state.

Deo had tweeted on Thursday enclosing a letter to the Centre about concerns of the state regarding the incomplete third-phase trials of the vaccine and the absence of expiry date on its vials.

He had also requested the Centre to halt the supply of Covaxin to Chhattisgarh until these issues were addressed.

Harsh Vardhan has given a detailed explanation in his letter to Deo stating that all vaccines supplied to the states were "safe and immunogenic" and should be used expeditiously.

The Congress-ruled state had been expressing its reservation about Covaxin since it received the Emergency Use Authorisation from India's drug regulator on January 3.

The vaccine is yet to complete its third phase of trials and is being used in clinical trial mode under nationwide Covid vaccination drive.

The Union minister pointed out that the state's performance in vaccination coverage was way behind schedule.

Harsh Vardhan said that while Chhattisgarh had "achieved 69.87 per cent coverage of its healthcare workers by giving them the first dose of the vaccine, the state has been able to cover only 9.55 per cent of its 2,09,512 frontline workers through the first dose of the vaccine".

"Ample supplies of vaccine have been delivered to Chhattisgarh against which coverage of only 9.55 per cent frontline workers in the state is a matter of grave concern. TS Singh Deoji, rather than sensationalising non-issues, kindly focus on improving vaccine coverage in the state," Harsh Vardhan tweeted.

"You would appreciate that this coverage needs to improve significantly since adequate quantities of both the vaccines are available with the state," his letter to Deo read.

The minister also rebuffed Deo's claim about absence of the expiry date from the vials.

"Your concern regarding unavailability of expiry date on Covaxin vial is also completely unfounded and without basis as the same is mentioned on the labels of vaccine vials," Vardhan wrote while he attached a photo of a vial with the label. IANS