The Maharashtra unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA) said on Friday that the safety of the COVID vaccine has to be tested widely with numerous volunteers across the globe with different categories such as age groups, gender, race, geographical locations and climatic conditions. Any vaccine, which is not tested fully with such third stage clinical trials is not safe, the premier doctor's body said in a media statement on Friday.

President of IMA (Maharashtra) Avinash Bhondwe said that after patients are inoculated there could be many side effects from simple rashes to severe and fatal anaphylactic reactions.

The efficacy of the vaccine claimed by the pharmaceuticals companies has to be verified by the national scientific research authorities while adhering to the national and international standards, he said.

Even if the vaccine is given emergency approval by the Indian Council of Medical Research, IMA (Maharashtra) pointed out that these vaccines need to maintain a cold chain from the manufacturing site to the vaccination centre as any disruption in the cold chain would make the vaccine ineffective.

Bhondwe added these are mRNA vaccines that need to be maintained at temperatures around minus 25 degrees to minus 70 degrees. The government does not have such facilities and may require outsourcing, which will take quite some time.

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