Photo Story: India approves AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, country’s first
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An Indian health worker prepares before a mock vaccination process during a dry run of Covid-19 vaccination at a model Covid-19 vaccination centre, in New Delhi, India, 02 January 2021.
India has approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, paving the way for a huge immunisation campaign in the world’s second most populous country.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters on Saturday the vaccine had been given the green light on Friday, confirming what sources close to the matter had told Reuters.
It is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use by India, which has the highest number of infections after the United States, and comes on the day the country is running a nationwide mock drill for vaccine delivery.
Javadekar said at least three more vaccines were waiting to be approved – local company Bharat Biotch’s COVAXIN, Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D and Russia’s Sputnik-V.
Indian health authorities conducted a dry run of Covid-19 vaccination across India.
India is world’s second-hardest hit nation by the coronavirus disease pandemic.
An health worker(R) receives a mock Covid-19 vaccine at a model Covid-19 vaccination centre in Kolkata, Eastern India, 02 January 2021. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARY
