By: Ollus Ndomu
The Indian government has today signed its first purchase for unapproved Covid-19 vaccines, 24 hours after a top court criticized government about its arbitrary and irrational vaccine roll out which left millions of adult population vulnerable .
India has shifted its focus to urgently inoculate the vast adult population in effort to stem infections that have killed several thousand and infected millions of people in the world’s second most populous country amidst April-May second wave of the Coronavirus.
The country’s Health Ministry has disclosed that government will buy 300 million doses of a vaccine still undergoing clinical trials from local firm Biological-E and has set an advance of $205.6 million.
“The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wide endeavor of Government of India to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in Research & Development (R&D) and also financial support,” the Health Ministry said in a Thursday statement.
The Asia country has in the recent weeks been inoculating its people with the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine in addition to Russia’s Sputnik V which it begin rolling out few days ago.
