India has staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes as the drug regulator prepared to approve the first vaccine.
A government panel yesterday recommended emergency use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot and the first injections could be given in the coming week after the Drugs Control Authority of India gives final approval.
India, which has the world's second highest number of pandemic cases - more than 10.2 million - has set an ambitious target of inoculating 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-2021.
Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine producer, has already stockpiled tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield ready for the campaign and