India announced Tuesday that it will approve the use of all coronavirus vaccines that have received emergency clearance from the World Health Organization or regulators in the United States, Europe, Britain or Japan.

According to the Indian Ministry of Health, the measure seeks to accelerate the use of vaccines manufactured in other countries and expand the “basket of vaccines” available for domestic use. The country, which has nearly 1.4 billion people, is suffering a devastating spike in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm hospitals in cities hardest hit by the pandemic.

The only way to overcome the crisis, according to experts, is by vaccinating more people.

But this has global implications as India is a major vaccine producer and its domestic needs have delayed delivery of doses to COVAX, a United Nations-backed initiative that seeks to distribute vaccines fairly.

India had already authorized the application of the one developed by the pharmaceutical AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is made at the Serum Institute of India, and another by the local company Bharat Biotech. The ministry explained Tuesday that Russia’s Sputnik V also received a green light for emergency use.

Now, vaccines that have received the go-ahead from regulators in the United States, Europe, Great Britain, Japan or the World Health Organization can also be used in India. The first 100 people immunized with them will be monitored for a week to verify their safety before being administered en masse, the ministry added.

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