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India has formally approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines as it prepares for one of the world's biggest inoculation drives.
The drugs regulatory authority gave the green light to the jabs developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University and by Bharat Biotech.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it "a decisive turning point".
India plans to inoculate up to 300 million people this year.
It has recorded the second-highest number of infections in the world, with more than 10.3 million confirmed cases to date. Nearly 150,000 people have died.
On Saturday India held nationwide drills to prepare more than 90,000 health care workers to administer vaccines across the country, which has a population of 1.3 billion people.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India, which says it is producing more than 50 million doses a month.
The Drugs Controller General of India said both manufacturers had submitted data showing their vaccines were safe to use.
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from Via PakapNews