India was considering granting an emergency authorisation for a COVID-19 vaccine, especially for the senior citizens and people working in high-risk environments, as the country’s number of reported infections passed 4.75 million, Reuters reported.
“Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines etc. are being discussed intensely,” India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. He assured the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity.
“The government is considering emergency authorisation of COVID-19 vaccination especially in the case of senior citizens & people working in high-risk settings. This shall be done after a consensus has been reached.”
The South Asian nation, which has consistently reported over 1,000 COVID-19 deaths daily this month, has now recorded over 78,500 fatalities from the disease so far.
