Covaxin Shelf-Life Extension Not A Problem: Covid Task Force Chief

The Centre also today termed media reports as "false and misleading" that claimed that expired vaccines were being given to teenagers.

It is absolutely safe, underlined the head of the India's vaccine task force chief on the vexing question of extending the shelf life of Covid vaccine, Covaxin, being given to teenagers (15-18) under the national Covid immunisation programme.

''Oh, it is absolutely safe. See, initially when the vaccines were being produced, the overall shelf-life issues were available only for that period when the studies were being done," said Dr NK Arora, who has been very closely involved with the rollout of vaccines from the very onset.

"Now, today, with the experience and the time, since when the vaccine was produced, the shelf life has been evaluated through various animal studies. And it clearly shows that the vaccine is effective and active potency is maintained up to 12 months," he said.

''Whenever this extra shelf-life duration is given, it is done in a very vigorous manner by regulators and all the baseline investigations and testing has been done. So, I would assure all my viewers ... that it is based on science that shelf life is now extended to 12 months," he added.