WHO identifies counterfeit versions of Covishield in India
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Aug, 2021 08:25 PM
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it has identified counterfeit versions of India's primary Covid vaccine, Covishield, BBC reported.
The doses were seized by authorities in India and Africa between July and August, a WHO statement said.
It also said the vaccine's maker, the Serum Institute of India, confirmed that the doses were fake.
The WHO warned that fake vaccines "pose a serious risk to global public health".
It called for their removal from circulation.
Covishield is the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca's jab and is the most widely used vaccine in India with more than 486 million doses administered so far.
Serum had supplied millions of Covishield vaccines to countries in Asia, Africa and South America - as part of deals that were inked with various governments and the global Covax scheme for poorer countries.
India, which is the second worst-affected country in the world, aims to vaccinate all its people by the end of this year.
About 13 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated since the beginning of the drive in January.
Former Punjab Congress president Partap Bajwa on Wednesday demanded a Haj like subsidy for Indian Sikh pilgrims who cross the Kartarpur corridor to visit Darbar Saheb Gurdwara on the Pakistan side.
A delegation of 23 EU MPs, on a two-day visit to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, arrived here on Tuesday to a complete shutdown and clashes between people and security forces in several parts of the city and the Valley.
Congress-ruled state wants to take full credit for the celebrations that will see the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and President Ram Nath Kovind. However, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is eyeing to take a political mileage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public gathering at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur after inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, say sources in the union home ministry.
