Congress, Centre at loggerheads over Covid-19 vaccine

As India rolled out its vaccination drive against Covid-19, main opposition Congress and the Modi government were at loggerheads over the efficacy of homegrown Covaxin.

Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari flagged concerns over Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin contending that the vaccine, developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology, was granted approvals “sans due process” and raised question on reasons behind government functionaries not getting inoculated by the homegrown vaccine.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan hit back at Tewari and the Congress, accusing them of being “only passionate about spreading distrust and rumours”.

The minister also shared photographs of eminent doctors and government functionaries getting Covaxin shots.

Read: 51 healthcare workers in Delhi face mild adverse effects after getting Covid-19 vaccine

“Science behind Covid-19 vaccines is resolute. Our scientists have worked at lightning speed to expedite functions that contribute to development of vaccine but not a single function has been circumvented,” the minister said.

Tewari insisted that he was raising genuine concerns over the efficacy of vaccines and not resorting to fear-mongering.

“Concerns that I have articulated are real and not imagined. It is not fear mongering. Look what is happening in Norway,” the former I&B Minister said, appending reports of 23 senior citizens dying soon after being administered the Pfizer vaccine in Norway.

Read: 23 senior citizens die after taking Pfizer shot

“It may be a different vaccine but do not hide behind vaccine nationalism,” Tewari said adding that even the medical community was divided over the efficacy of Covaxin.

Tewari also shared a letter by resident doctors of the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, expressing apprehension over getting vaccinated by Covaxin.

“On a day of hope for every Indian, all those who spread fake narratives & expressed apprehensions about India’s capability to produce the vaccines can now remove their foot from the mouth & vaccinate themselves against self-doubt,” Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.