New Delhi: India said on Tuesday it would fast-track emergency approvals for foreign-produced COVID-19 vaccines that have been granted emergency authorisation in other countries, as infections surge.
“The first 100 beneficiaries of such foreign vaccines shall be assessed for seven days for safety outcomes before it is rolled out for further immunisation programme within the country,” the health ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine was approved for emergency use in India earlier on Monday. Before that, only two vaccines had been authorised in India – AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharati Biotech’s Covaxin.
According to NDTV, five more vaccines are expected to get approval this year – the list includes Johnson and Johnson (Bio E), Zydus Cadila, Serum’s Novavax and a nasal vaccine from Bharat Biotech.
Since last week, several states have reported vaccine shortages, and reports from other states too have pointed to similar issues. An IndiaSpend investigation showed that at the current pace of vaccination, the vaccines in stock would have lasted a week from April 8 and those in the pipeline would last for five more days.
India is currently witnessing its most intense COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began last year, reporting more than a lakh new cases daily for the last few days.
(With Reuters inputs)