India’s drugs regulator has given final approval for the emergency-use of two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech.

The world’s second-most populous country is now expected to start a massive immunisation programme within weeks, with the AstraZeneca/Oxford shot taking the lead and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin administered under stricter conditions given no efficacy data has been release for it.

The overall efficacy of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was 70.42 per cent, while Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was “safe and provides a robust immune response”, Drugs Controller General of India V. G. Somani said.