India orders 300 million unapproved Covid jabs
Source: BBC
India orders 300 million unapproved Covid jabs
4 June 2021
India has ordered 300 million doses of an unapproved coronavirus vaccine amid a devastating second wave.
The unnamed vaccine from Indian firm Biological E is in Phase 3 trials, and had showed "promising results" in the first two phases, the federal government said in a statement.
The $206m order is the first India has signed for a jab that has not received emergency approval.
This comes as the country struggles to speed up its lagging vaccine drive.
India has administered just over 220 million jabs so far although much of its 1.4 billion population is now eligible for the vaccine. Less than 10% of the country has received at least one dose of the vaccination, largely because of a severe shortage of doses.
Although Covid case numbers have been dropping, India is still adding more than 100,000 news cases a day. It has recorded more than 340,000 deaths from the virus so far, but experts say the number is vastly underestimated.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57354069