Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that doctors and politicians in India have welcomed efficacy data for a state-backed COVID-19 vaccine, Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN, which was given emergency approval in January 2021 without the completion of a late-stage trial.

This reportedly, made people reluctant to receive the vaccine shot.

Data from the Indian government revealed that only 10% of about 12.6 million people immunised in India have taken the COVAXIN shot, which was found to be 81% effective in an interim analysis of the late-stage trial, its developer Bharat Biotech said on Wednesday.

Bharat Biotech has said 40 countries were interested in COVAXIN.

According to Reuters, many doctors and opposition politicians in India had rejected COVAXIN because it was approved by the Indian drug regulator only on the basis of data from intermediate trials.

India reported 17,407 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 11.16 million cases. COVID-19 deaths rose by 89 to 157,435.