India orders 300m COVID shots as court demands vaccine ‘roadmap’

In a first, India places order for yet-to-be approved vaccine amid criticism of government’s handling of vaccine drive.

India’s government has signed its first purchase order for unapproved COVID-19 vaccines, a day after it faced criticism from the top court about an “arbitrary and irrational” vaccine rollout that has left millions of people vulnerable. After a devastating second wave of infections that killed tens of thousands in April and May, the focus has shifted to urgently inoculating India’s vast adult population to curb infections later this year. The government will buy 300 million doses from local firm Biological-E and has put down an advance of $205.6m, the health ministry said, even though the vaccine is still undergoing phase-3 clinical trials before approvals can be given.