Coronavirus live updates: First time since August, daily tests below 9 lakh for 3 days

"As part of the ongoing work of the Vaccines Taskforce, the government is in advanced discussions with Moderna to ensure UK access to their vaccine as part of the wider UK portfolio," a government spokesperson said.

Of those, only five infections occurred in those who received the vaccine, which is administered in two shots 28 days apart.

The European Commission said the positive results announced on Monday by US biotech firm Moderna for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate was encouraging and said the bloc was working to sign more supply deals with vaccine makers. "More encouraging news from #COVID19 vaccine trials w/@moderna," EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Twitter.

Moderna Inc said on Monday its experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing Covid based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial, becoming the second US company in a week to report results that far exceed expectations.

Speaking virtually at a programme organised by the Indian School of Business, Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said the company is also working on another vaccine for Covid-19 which would be in the form of nasal drops and can be ready by next year. "We partnered with ICMR for Covid-19 vaccine as we speak it entered the phase 3 trials," he said. Bharat Biotech is the only vaccine company in the world which has BSL3 production facility (Biosafety level 3), he said.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will play a major role in the Covid-19 vaccination programme of the country, even as their various healthcare facilities continue to treat people infected with the virus, ITBP Director General S S Deswal said.

India's trend of registering daily Covid-19 recoveries outpacing the daily infections continued for the 44th day as 43,851 patients recuperated in a span of 24 hours as against 30,548 newly detected cases, the Union health ministry said on Monday.