The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) will likely meet at the WHO on 5 October to discuss granting the EUA to Covaxin.

The SAGE is charged with advising WHO on overall global policies and strategies, ranging from vaccines and technology, research and development, to delivery of immunization and its linkages with other health interventions.

Earlier, the WHO had sought clarification on the data submitted by the Hyderabad – based vaccine manufacturer. The 5 October meeting has been called after Bharat Biotech provided all the details.

Meanwhile, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Krishna Ella, said Covaxin production would touch 55 million doses in October as against 35 million in September.

“The pandemic is nowhere near finished,” the committee said in a statement, highlighting “the strong likelihood for the emergence and global spread of new and possibly more dangerous variants of concern that may be even more challenging to control.”

The emergency committee also advises against COVID-19 vaccination should not be required for international travel, amid a growing debate on blocking the entry of travelers if they are unvaccinated.

The independent experts said that vaccinations should not be the only condition to permit international travel, given limited global access and inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The experts had previously said that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement.

The WHO chief also asked China to cooperate better in the probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the first cases of which were seen in Wuhan in December 2019.

“We hope there will be better cooperation to get to the bottom of what happened,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a regular press briefing in Geneva, calling in particular for access to raw data which so far has been inadequate.

Tedros said investigations into the origins of the pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of its spread there.

Covaxin is the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech. The company has submitted “almost complete” papers to WHO for EUL.

The approval is significant as it will likely lead to more international acceptance of the vaccine. It will also boost prospects of International travel for the many Indians who have taken Covaxin but are currently excluded from the list of globally accepted vaccines.

“It is mandatory to supply a complete dossier listing safety, efficacy and manufacturing conditions of the vaccines to WHO. I understand that Bharat Biotech is in this process and I think a decision on their case is likely in the next four to six weeks,” Swaminathan said.

The stamp will also allow Covaxin to join the WHO’s COVAX vaccine alliance which is ensuring supply for other countries. So far, only six vaccines have EUL from the apex global health body – AstraZeneca-Oxford, Moderna, Johson & Johson, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Last week, Bharat Biotech released its Phase 3 trials results and claimed vaccine efficacy of 78.8 percent against COVID-19. It tweeted: “COVAXIN Proven SAFE in India’s Largest Efficacy Trial,” the company tweeted on July 3”.