A total of seven States - Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal - have been identified by the Union Health Ministry where ZyCoV-D vaccine will be used initially. The health ministry has directed these states to identify districts with high number of first dose left out for introduction of the vaccine.
About the WHO's EUL approval to India's indigenous vaccine Covaxin, he said that the technical team of global health body has approved it, and the "other committee is meeting today which will decide on the approval of the vaccine".
ZyCoV-D is a first of its kind DNA vaccine that produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 to elicit an immune response. It is an intradermal vaccine that has to be applied using a 'needle-free injector', which, the manufacturer says, will help in reducing side effects.
