Indian Medical Association Defends Covishield Vaccine Amid Concerns, Morocco Awaits Doses

"These rumors are more harmful than the disease itself," denounces the IMA, which has launched a large-scale awareness campaign on the importance and effectiveness of the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and Covaxin, invented and developed locally by the Indian company Bharat Biotech.

India has recently authorized these two vaccines for "emergency use". However, their use has raised concerns. Some opposition parties have also questioned the "premature" approval by the Indian authorities of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin on the grounds that this vaccine has not yet completed the last stage of human clinical trials.

"Our work was no less than that of Pfizer," said Krishna Ella, director of Bharat Biotech. "Covaxin has shown less than 10% side effects, while others have shown 60 to 70% side effects," he explained. "I can assure you that our vaccine is 200% safe."