Russia's Covid vaccine Sputnik-V has been cleared for emergency use approval in India by a committee of experts in the middle of a record spike in virus cases in the country. If approved by regulator DGCI, this will become the third vaccine to be used in India after Serum Institute of India's Covishield - developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca - and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
Sputnik-V, manufactured in India by Dr Reddy's, has the highest effectiveness - 91.6 per cent -- after the Moderna and Pfizer shots.
Meanwhile, state board exams for classes 10 and 12 have been postponed in Maharashtra amid the Covid surge. The class 12 exams will now be held by the end of May and the class 10 exams in June, state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said. The exact dates will be announced based on the developing situation, which the administration is monitoring, she said.
"The present circumstances are not conducive for holding exams. Your health is our priority," Ms Gaikwad said in a video message posted on Twitter today.
