The Government of India has approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the fourth vaccine to be cleared for emergency use in the country.

Cipla has been given the permission to import Modernas vaccine for restricted emergency use. No details about a rollout plan are known so far. It is also not known when and how many doses will be available in the country. According to sources, Cipla is currently only considering the acquisition of donated vaccines. Commercial supply agreements are being worked out.

Of all the four COVID-19 vaccines approved in India thus far, Moderna seems to have the highest effectiveness. It has been reported to be 94% effective, while Sputnik vaccine is 91% effective. Covaxin and Covishield are 77.8% and 74% effective, respectively… (NDTV, June 29, 2021)