Bahrain approves emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Bahrain approves emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Bahrain has approved the emergency use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name Covishield.

The decision comes following extensive research conducted by Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) and the Immunization Committee at the Ministry of Health, which considered the results of clinical trials held in several countries as well as information shared by the Serum Institute of India, covering manufacturing processes and batch analyses, the official Bahrain news Agency (BNA) reported.

The authority has undertaken "comprehensive evaluation of the information submitted by the manufacturer“, including the quality and consistency of the vaccine as well as immune response results, said Dr Maryam Athbi Al-Jalahmah, CEO of the NHRA.

Data collected by Oxford-AstraZeneca shows a 70.42 per cent efficacy rate with minor side effects, such as headache, fatigue, chills, and injection site pain.

The manufacturer has also "undertaken rigorous randomised studies to uphold the high safety standards required by Bahrain“, which requires its testing on broad demographic groups, as well as collecting additional information on effectiveness, safety and efficacy data, added Al-Jalahmah.

The Serum Institute of India is also registered as a manufacturer of medicines and vaccines in Bahrain, and currently produces other key vaccines