India's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, was developed by Bharat Biotech. It has not been pre-ordered by 190 countries.
Covaxin, which was produced by Bharat Biotech, was granted permission for "restricted" emergency use in January. Covaxin has been made by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). However, the approval was met with a backlash from many as the vaccine is still undergoing phase three clinical trials.
There is also no evidence that 190 countries have booked two billion doses of Covaxin. Instead, there is evidence that 190 countries are participating in COVAX. COVAX is a global initiative by GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), who are aiming to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to all countries and people irrespective of their economic status.
On January 5, Sharma tweeted a clarification, stating that Covaxin and COVAX are not the same things and that COVAX is the name of the WHO program, which is a consortium of 190 countries. He added that GAVI has booked two billion vaccines along with Serum Institute and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, while Covaxin is India's vaccine, which has been approved by the Indian government.
In short, Covaxin is not a part of the WHO's COVAX program.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.
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