India approved the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, paving the way for a massive immunization campaign in the second most populous country in the world.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters on Saturday that the vaccine had been approved on Friday, confirming what sources close to the matter had told Reuters.
It is the first Covid-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in India, which has the highest number of infections after the United States.
Javadekar said that at least three more vaccines were waiting online to be approved.
“India is perhaps the only country where at least four vaccines are being prepared,” he said.
“One was approved yesterday for emergency use, the COVISHIELD Serum.” he said, referring to the fact that the injection is being done locally by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
India has reported more than 10 million cases of Covid-19, although its infection rate has dropped significantly from a peak in mid-September.
The country hopes to vaccinate 300 million of its 1.35 billion people in the first six to eight months of 2021.
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