Letter to BS: Safety, efficacy of Covid vaccine should not be compromised

This refers to the editorial “Irrational target “(July 6). The proposal to launch an indigenous Covid vaccine is a welcome step as for our country has a huge population and the pandemic has caused unprecedented damage. However, the date of launch proposed by the Indian Council of Medical Research appears too close and there is an apprehension that certain procedures may be compromised to meet that deadline. 

India will be the single-largest consumer of the vaccine globally and if we have to get priority in distribution of the vaccine, we should have our own source of supply and going by the track record of the company which has developed the candidate, there is hope for success. While it is understood that elaborate trials and documentation as followed in the US may not be feasible in this case in view of urgency to save lives, the safety and efficacy of the vaccine should not be compromised and one hopes that the identified investigators will do a fair job. The nation awaits the right vaccine at the right time.

M Raghraman  Mumbai 

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