France 24
Covid-19: India authorizes two vaccines, including one developed by AstraZeneca
India’s drug regulatory authority on Sunday authorized the use, “for emergency situations”, of two vaccines against Covid-19, one developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and the other by a local firm. India will be able to launch its vaccination campaign. The country has authorized the use, “for emergency situations”, of two vaccines against Covid-19, one developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and the other by the Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech , the local drug regulatory authority announced on Sunday (January 3rd). These two vaccines “are approved for restricted use in emergency situations,” India’s Comptroller General of Drugs told a press conference. , VG Somani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi estimated that this approval, according to an accelerated procedure, constituted “a decisive turning point to strengthen the spirit of combat” and to “accelerate the march towards a nation more healthy and free of the Covid”. India, which has 1.3 billion inhabitants, is the second country most affected by the pandemic, with more than 10.3 million people who have been infected. Nearly 150,000 people have died from Covid-19. Its rate of new infections has decreased remarkably compared to the situation in September, when more than 90,000 cases were recorded each day. This green light should allow the start of a vast vaccination campaign. Simulation exercises have already been carried out nationally, and 96,000 health workers have been trained to administer the vaccine. VG Somani told reporters the regulator “would never give approval if there was any safety concern.” “These vaccines are 100% safe,” he continued, adding that the observed side effects, such as “mild fever, pain and allergies were common to all vaccines.” India’s Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine producer, reported that it manufactures between 50 and 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine. Its managing director Adar Poonawalla tweeted after the green light was announced that the vaccine would be “ready for distribution in the coming weeks.” With AFP
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