<p>The Indian drug regulator has approved the single-dose Russian-origin Sputnik-Light vaccine for emergency use, providing doctors with one more vaccine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic that led to the death of more than five lakh Indians in the past two years.</p>.<p>“The Drugs Controller General of India has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th Covid-19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Sunday.</p>.<p>In September, the DCGI permitted Indian pharmaceutical major Dr Reddy’s Laboratory to carry out a bridging trial of the Sputnik Light vaccine to check if the single dose Russian Covid-19 vaccine can be introduced in India in future.</p>.<p>Other vaccines that received the emergency use authorisation from the DCGI so far are Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik, ZyCoV-D (Zydus Cadila), Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Corbevax (Biological E) and Covovax (by Novavax and Serum Institute of India).</p>.<p>Last month, the regulator upgraded the licences for Covishield and Covaxin from "emergency use" to "regular new drug permissions," allowing the manufacturers to submit safety data after every six months, but retained the existing vaccination rules for the recipients at the moment.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/half-the-people-who-catch-covid-may-suffer-long-term-changes-to-their-senses-1078730.html" target="_blank">Half the people who catch Covid may suffer long-term changes to their senses</a></strong></p>.<p>India has so far used more than 144 crore doses of Covishield and nearly 25 crore doses of Covaxin in one of the world’s largest adult vaccination campaigns in which nearly 77 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated while 97% received at least a single dose. A minuscule amount of Sputnik (just about 12 lakh doses) has also been used.</p>.<p>Earlier this week, Zydus Cadila began supplying its three-dose needle-free vaccine ZyCov-D to the Centre, responding to a Rs 1 crore purchase order from the Union Health Ministry in November. The ZyCov-D doses would be used in seven states beginning with Bihar, health ministry sources said.</p>.<p>With the majority of India’s 94.47 crore adult population being fully vaccinated, every new vaccine could either be used as a booster shot or expand the coverage by including children below 15 years of age.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>The Indian drug regulator has approved the single-dose Russian-origin Sputnik-Light vaccine for emergency use, providing doctors with one more vaccine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic that led to the death of more than five lakh Indians in the past two years.</p>.<p>“The Drugs Controller General of India has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th Covid-19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Sunday.</p>.<p>In September, the DCGI permitted Indian pharmaceutical major Dr Reddy’s Laboratory to carry out a bridging trial of the Sputnik Light vaccine to check if the single dose Russian Covid-19 vaccine can be introduced in India in future.</p>.<p>Other vaccines that received the emergency use authorisation from the DCGI so far are Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik, ZyCoV-D (Zydus Cadila), Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Corbevax (Biological E) and Covovax (by Novavax and Serum Institute of India).</p>.<p>Last month, the regulator upgraded the licences for Covishield and Covaxin from "emergency use" to "regular new drug permissions," allowing the manufacturers to submit safety data after every six months, but retained the existing vaccination rules for the recipients at the moment.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/half-the-people-who-catch-covid-may-suffer-long-term-changes-to-their-senses-1078730.html" target="_blank">Half the people who catch Covid may suffer long-term changes to their senses</a></strong></p>.<p>India has so far used more than 144 crore doses of Covishield and nearly 25 crore doses of Covaxin in one of the world’s largest adult vaccination campaigns in which nearly 77 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated while 97% received at least a single dose. A minuscule amount of Sputnik (just about 12 lakh doses) has also been used.</p>.<p>Earlier this week, Zydus Cadila began supplying its three-dose needle-free vaccine ZyCov-D to the Centre, responding to a Rs 1 crore purchase order from the Union Health Ministry in November. The ZyCov-D doses would be used in seven states beginning with Bihar, health ministry sources said.</p>.<p>With the majority of India’s 94.47 crore adult population being fully vaccinated, every new vaccine could either be used as a booster shot or expand the coverage by including children below 15 years of age.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
