Misconceived doubts, motivated propaganda against COVID-19 vaccination can result in potential threat of increasing vaccine hesitancy: Centre to SC

The Central government has told the Supreme Court that any "misgivings and misconceived doubts and motivated propaganda" against COVID-19 vaccination can only result in a potential threat of increasing vaccine hesitancy, which will not be in the public interest.

The Centre has filed its affidavit on a plea alleging coercive vaccination of citizens and seeking disclosure of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial data and post-vaccination data.

It said such a plea goes against national interest and would violate the rights of citizens to get vaccinated against the virus.

The affidavit pointed out that there is a statutory regime in place for trial and approval of vaccines and that the same has been followed.

"At this juncture, the entire concentration of the Central government and the State governments should be and is on vaccination drive and encouraging people to get them vaccinated. It is, therefore, not desirable at this juncture to invest time finding out motives behind a few elements attempting to act against the interest of the nation at the cost of violating the right of crores of citizens to be protected from the pandemic," the Centre submitted in its affidavit.

All vaccination trial data is in public, except the data that would expose any information about the participants of the clinical trial, which is against rules and guidelines, it added

The plea has raised a false alarm and warning against efforts of the nation to combat an unprecedented tragedy faced by the human race, said the Centre seeking dismissal of the plea.

The affidavit was filed on a plea filed by Dr Jacob Puliyel seeking public disclosure of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial data and post-vaccination data, claiming that it is mandatory and required that the government must publish the data as per the International medical norms.

It sought direction for transparency in clinical trial data for the COVID-19 vaccines being administered in India under emergency use.

Dr Puliyel has also sought a stay on the COVID-19 vaccine mandates that are being issued by authorities in various parts of the country.

He also said that the Helsinki and World Health Organization (WHO) mandated that all COVID-19 vaccine data and trials have to be made in a transparent manner, which, in this case, was not made.

The plea sought direction to the Centre to disclose the reasoned decision of the DCGI granting approval or rejecting an application for emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines and to also disclose the post-vaccination data regarding the adverse impact of vaccines -- who got infected, who needed hospitalization and those who died after such infection post-COVID-19 vaccination.

( With inputs from ANI )

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