‘False & Misleading’: Centre Dismisses Claims Of Expired COVID Vaccines Being Administered In India

The Union Health Ministry’s response comes as COVID vaccination of beneficiaries in the 15 to 18 age group commenced in India today.

Representative Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday dismissed claims that alleged expired COVID vaccines were being administered in India, terming such reports as “false and misleading”. 

In a statement, the Union Health Ministry wrote: “There have been some media reports alleging that expired vaccines are being administered in India under its national COVID-19 vaccination programme. This is false and misleading and based on incomplete information”.

It was mentioned that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) on October 25, 2021, “in response to M/s Bharat Biotech International Limited’s letter no: BBIL/RA/21/567 has approved the extension of shelf life of Covaxin (Whole Virion, Inactivated Coronavirus Vaccine) from 9 months to 12 months”. 

Similarly, the shelf life of Covishield was extended by the National Regulator from 6 months to 9 months on February 22, 2021, the ministry stated.

It stressed that the shelf life of vaccines “is extended by the National Regulator based on comprehensive analysis and examination of stability study data furnished by the vaccine manufacturers”.

Earlier in the day, a social media user claimed that her son was being administered a vaccine “that had already expired in November”. In response to a question, she wrote that the incident took place in a vaccination centre in Gurgaon.

Currently, Covaxin is the only vaccine being administered to teenagers aged 15 to 18.

In a statement on December 20, 2021, Bharat Biotech had informed that Covaxin Open Vial is stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for 28 days and not required to be discarded immediately in a day or at the end of immunisation session.

“This approval of shelf life extension is based on the availability of additional stability data, which was submitted to CDSCO. With the shelf life extension, hospitals can now utilise the stock to avoid vaccine wastage,” the press release had stated.

The Union Health Ministry’s response comes as COVID vaccination of beneficiaries in the 15 to 18 age group commenced in India today. The process of registration for the same had begun on January 1.

(With Agency Inputs)