Drugs Controller General of India on Sunday granted permission to the vaccines developed by Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech for restricted use in an emergency situation.

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Sunday said the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ is ready to roll out in the coming weeks.

Poonawalla’s remarks came soon after India’s drugs regulator approved Covishield for restricted emergency use.

“Happy new year, everyone! All the risks @SerumInstIndia took with stockpiling the vaccine, have finally paid off. COVISHIELD, India’s first COVID-19 vaccine is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll-out in the coming weeks,” Poonawalla tweeted.

“Thank you Hon. Sri @narendramodi Ji, Hon. Sri @drharshvardhan Ji, @MoHFW_INDIA @ICMRDELHI @DBTIndia #DCGI_India @UniofOxford @AstraZeneca @gavi @GaviSeth @gatesfoundation and @BillGates for your support,” he added.

India currently has less than 3 lakh active coronavirus cases and the death toll stands at 149, 435. The approval is expected to kick off one of the world’s biggest vaccination drives in coming days in the country of 1.3 billion people.