India Approves ZyCov-D Covid-19 Vaccine, World's First 'Plasmid DNA' Jab
On August 20, India’s drug regulator approved the world's first DNA vaccine against Covid-19 for emergency use. India approves Zydus Cadila's three-dose Covid-19 DNA vaccine for emergency use in adults and children aged 12 years and above. With this, India brings in the sixth vaccine authorised for use in the country. This vaccine will be the sixth Covid-19 vaccine to be available in India after Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik, Moderna & Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine. The firm plans to manufacture 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “A momentous feat indeed.” Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister of India tweeted, “Double good news for the nation!” In July 2021, the company had said that its vaccine was effective against the new coronavirus mutants, especially the Delta variant. The firm had said that the jab is administered using a needle-free applicator as opposed to traditional syringes. India has so far administered over 58 crore shots, said the Union health ministry.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2021 01:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).