Govt scraps local trials for virus shots as it battles second wave

Centre tries to accelerate the vaccination rollout to counter the world’s worst surge in infections; virus vaccine trials on children in India to begin soon, says govt

NEW DELHI

India scrapped local trials for “well-established” foreign coronavirus vaccines on Thursday as it tries to accelerate the vaccination rollout to counter the world’s worst surge in infections.

India this month recorded its highest COVID-19 death toll since the pandemic began last year, accounting for just over a third of the overall total.

Only about 3% of the country’s 1.3 billion people have been fully vaccinated, the lowest rate among the 10 countries with the most cases.

Thursday’s move will allow imports of shots developed by Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna with which India has been in talks with little success.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced mounting criticism for its failure to secure vaccines for its people as a devastating second wave rips through the vast hinterland.

“This is governance failure since India is one of the biggest vaccine producers,” Kaushik Basu, a former chief economic adviser to the government, wrote on Twitter.

“Good days will come but this vaccine lapse will be remembered.”