Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine could be approved 'within the next 24 hours,' according to a WHO official.

According to Reuters, a technical committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) will assess the India-made Covaxin shot for approval today, citing a WHO official.

The representative went on to say that he expects the WHO to issue a recommendation on the usage of Covaxin within the next 24 hours.

"We would expect a recommendation within the next 24 hours or so if everything is in place and everything goes well, and if the committee is happy," Margaret Harris told media at a UN press conference.

The WHO had previously stated that a vaccine must be properly evaluated to ensure that it is "safe and effective."

On April 19, Bharat Biotech, based in Hyderabad, submitted an EOI (Expression of Interest) to the WHO for the vaccine's Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

In response to the approval delay, WHO stated that it cannot take shortcuts before recommending a product for emergency use. "It needs to be thoroughly evaluated to ensure that it is both safe and effective."

The WHO EUL protocol is a risk-based approach to evaluating and listing unlicensed vaccines, with the goal of making these medicines more accessible to persons affected by a public health emergency.

This will help interested UN procurement agencies and member states decide whether or not to use specific items based on a critical set of quality, safety, efficacy, and performance statistics.

Bharat Biotech has been submitting Covaxin data on a regular basis, and WHO specialists have been reviewing it as it has been received. The timing for the EUL procedure, according to the WHO, is determined by how quickly a vaccine manufacturer can submit the data needed to assess the vaccine's quality, safety, efficacy, and suitability for low- and middle-income countries.

If granted, the WHO's clearance will benefit people in India who have been vaccinated with covaxin since it will make foreign travel easier for Indians who have gotten the homemade vaccine as part of India's national covid immunization campaign.

Students and businesspeople who want to travel to nations that require a vaccination certificate for WHO-approved vaccines have been affected by the delay.