COVISHIELD

Drug Controller General of India on March 31 extended the usage time limit of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Covishield. The vaccine earlier permitted usage for six months after the date of manufacture, can now be used for nine months from its manufacturing date. Writing to the Serum Institute of India, the DCGI stated that all details about the stock should be submitted to DCGI's office and Central Drugs Authority.

The Centre, on March 23, announced to open COVID-19 vaccination for everyone above 45 years in its attempt to speed up the nationwide inoculation drive. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar clarified that people above 45-year-old will no longer require to produce co-morbidity certificates. The move came after the Centre widened the Covishield dosage gap from four to eight weeks on March 22. The government has requested several states to open… read-more

Billboards thanking PM Narendra Modi for the COVID-19 vaccine have been put up in Greater Toronto, Canada. The billboards read, "Thank You India and PM Narendra Modi for providing COVID vaccines to Canada. Long Live Canada-India Friendship." Moreover, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau also expressed his gratitude saying that if the world conquers COVID-19 "it would be significantly because of India's tremendous pharmaceutical capacity." Earlier, on… read-more

Assam's Silchar Medical College and Hospital witnessed a total of 1,000 doses of spoiled 'Covishield' vaccines due to extreme cold storage temperatures. While the ideal storage temperature for the vaccine is 2-8°C, the temperature of the storage facility at SMCH slumped to minus 5-6°C, freezing the vaccines. Instigating a probe into the matter, the state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the lapses might have occurred probably due to… read-more

After the government approved COVID Vaccine consignment, Maldives will become the first country to be aided by India's Covishield vaccine. Reportedly, the consignment, sufficient for the frontline workers and senior citizens of Maldives, will land at Velana International Airport, Malé in an Air-India flight on January 20. However, the Island is currently the largest COVID-19 assistance recipient in India's neighbourhood including medical… read-more