India launches world's largest vaccination drive
With hospitals decked out with flowers and balloons, India began Saturday one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccine rollouts, a colossal and complex task compounded by safety worries, shaky infrastructure and public scepticism.
The world's second-most populous nation hopes to inoculate around 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by July -- a number equal to almost the entire US population.
Health workers, people over 50 and those deemed at high-risk are prioritised to receive one of two approved vaccines, although one of them has yet to complete clinical trials.
On day one around 300,000 people were due to receive the first of two doses after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme live on his YouTube channel.
"Normally, it takes many years to make a vaccine but in such a short span of time, not one, but two 'Made in India' vaccines are ready," Modi said.
[attach id=1015182 type="video"]Video: AFP [/attach]
"The world has immense faith in India's scientists and capacity of vaccine production."
Authorities are drawing on their experience with elections and child immunisation programmes for polio and tuberculosis in rolling out the vaccine.
About 150,000 staff in...