After the Lancet study, the raging controversy over the efficacy of Covaxin, India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, should not exist and the fear associated with the vaccination drive should also be put to rest, said Subhasis Panda, Deputy Director (administration), AIIMS, here. Panda is the first civil services officer to receive the Covaxin jab at AIIMS on Saturday, where he has been working for three years.

According to reports, reputed medical journal the Lancet Infectious Diseases on Friday said Covaxin produced tolerable safety outcomes and enhanced immune responses in Phase 1 trials.

Speaking to IANS on this Lancet study, Panda said: "India has developed a safe vaccine. In the backdrop of the Lancet study on Covaxin, the data, statistics and the process of validation has also been approved. Covaxin getting thumbs-up from Lancet is a huge validation."

He added now people should shun apprehensions associated with the vaccination drive.

"Please go get the jab", said Panda.

The frontline workers got inoculated in the first phase.

Even though one million doses have been administered, since the beginning of vaccination drive on January 16, concerns over COVID-19 vaccines have not settled yet.

The government is also fighting barrage of misinformation, which is causing vaccine hesitation, and despite many reassurances, many are far from being convinced.

Panda said: "There is a phenomenon called vaccine hesitancy, it was there when we initiated the polio vaccination drive and over the time it disappeared. I took the jab today and I am feeling absolutely fine."

Citing the Lancet study, he reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and more and more people should volunteer to take the jab.

(IANS)