<p>Days before India's vaccination drive is expected to begin, the federation of professional medical organisations, the Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), asserted that both Covishield and Covaxin are safe.</p>.<p>The vaccines made by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (Covishield) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) have been rolled out and the first phase of vaccination is set to kickstart on 16 January.</p>.<p>“Both these vaccines are safe. Don’t believe in any rumours and don’t be a party in creating or circulating any misgivings and rumours. If not, at best, be quiet,” OMAG president Dr S Natarajan and Secretary-General Ishwar Gilada said.</p>.<p>“Medicines are used in the treatment and may have some safety compromises, but vaccines being used for prevention of infections, there are no compromises in safety,” they added.</p>.<p>“In priority immunisation drive the Government-sponsored vaccines are used. You cannot choose between the available vaccines. Please take whatever is offered to you,” he added.</p>.<p>“Two doses of the same vaccines are must to get adequate immunogenicity and efficacy. You can afford to wait only if you have had either symptomatic or asymptomatic Covid-19 infection and still have IgG antibodies on Covid Antibody test,” he said.</p>.<p>“Getting vaccinated is an immunity and confidence-building measure for you. It will send a positive signal for the rest of the population, besides helping in nation-building. Whether or not vaccine is taken, Covid-appropriate behaviours will continue in 2021,” added Dr Gilada.</p>.<p>There are several vaccines undergoing human clinical trials in India and are in the pipeline for the CDSCO nod.</p>.<p>Russia's Sputnik V vaccine whose phase II and III trial is being conducted by Dr Reddy’s, and locally developed Zydus-Cadila’s ZyCov-D will start its phase-III trial, Serum Institute’s second vaccine NovaVax is considered for a phase III trial, Biological-E and Gennova, d Pune’s mRNA based vaccine will begin phase I trials, and Bharat Biotech’s second nasal vaccine candidate will begin its trials.</p>
<p>Days before India's vaccination drive is expected to begin, the federation of professional medical organisations, the Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), asserted that both Covishield and Covaxin are safe.</p>.<p>The vaccines made by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (Covishield) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) have been rolled out and the first phase of vaccination is set to kickstart on 16 January.</p>.<p>“Both these vaccines are safe. Don’t believe in any rumours and don’t be a party in creating or circulating any misgivings and rumours. If not, at best, be quiet,” OMAG president Dr S Natarajan and Secretary-General Ishwar Gilada said.</p>.<p>“Medicines are used in the treatment and may have some safety compromises, but vaccines being used for prevention of infections, there are no compromises in safety,” they added.</p>.<p>“In priority immunisation drive the Government-sponsored vaccines are used. You cannot choose between the available vaccines. Please take whatever is offered to you,” he added.</p>.<p>“Two doses of the same vaccines are must to get adequate immunogenicity and efficacy. You can afford to wait only if you have had either symptomatic or asymptomatic Covid-19 infection and still have IgG antibodies on Covid Antibody test,” he said.</p>.<p>“Getting vaccinated is an immunity and confidence-building measure for you. It will send a positive signal for the rest of the population, besides helping in nation-building. Whether or not vaccine is taken, Covid-appropriate behaviours will continue in 2021,” added Dr Gilada.</p>.<p>There are several vaccines undergoing human clinical trials in India and are in the pipeline for the CDSCO nod.</p>.<p>Russia's Sputnik V vaccine whose phase II and III trial is being conducted by Dr Reddy’s, and locally developed Zydus-Cadila’s ZyCov-D will start its phase-III trial, Serum Institute’s second vaccine NovaVax is considered for a phase III trial, Biological-E and Gennova, d Pune’s mRNA based vaccine will begin phase I trials, and Bharat Biotech’s second nasal vaccine candidate will begin its trials.</p>