Decks cleared for import of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V into Brazil

National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil- Anvisa had earlier denied permission to import Covaxin after authorities found that the Indian plant in which the jab was being made did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

PTI

June 05, 2021 / 10:24 IST

File image (Source: Reuters)

Brazil has cleared the proposal to import Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin into the South American country.

National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil- Anvisa had earlier denied permission to import Covaxin after authorities found that the Indian plant in which the jab was being made did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

The Brazilian health regulator also approved another proposal to import Russia's Sputnik V vaccine into that country.

According to Anvisa's approval, Brazil is expected to receive four million doses of Covaxin initially.

After using the authorized doses, the agency will analyse the data for monitoring the use of the vaccine in order to assess the next quantities to be imported.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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Decks cleared for import of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V into Brazil

National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil- Anvisa had earlier denied permission to import Covaxin after authorities found that the Indian plant in which the jab was being made did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

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Decks cleared for import of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V into Brazil

National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil- Anvisa had earlier denied permission to import Covaxin after authorities found that the Indian plant in which the jab was being made did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

Related Stories

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