India approved the emergency use of two Covid-19 vaccines on January 3, as nations across the world raced to get their populations inoculated to beat back surging infection numbers.

More than a year after Covid-19 first emerged, it has killed more than 1.8 million people out of 84 million confirmed cases. Governments hope that recently approved vaccines can staunch the spread of the virus and stop a cycle of economically crippling restrictions.

India, the world’s second-most infected nation, authorised the use of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine as well as one produced by local pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech.

The Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest manufacturer of vaccines, has said it is making between 50 and 60 million doses a month of the former vaccine.

India has already held nationwide drills to prepare for one of the world’s biggest vaccination programmes, aiming to inoculate 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-2021.

Britain on January 3 became the latest country to warn of tougher measures to come, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitting he was “reconciled” to the prospect hours after his country registered a new daily record of 57,725 Covid-19 cases.

France brought the start of its overnight curfew from 8pm to 6pm in hard-hit eastern areas.

Nightlife shut down in Bangkok; Tokyo’s governor asked for a state of emergency to be declared in the Japanese capital; and curbs were extended in South Korea’s Seoul until January 17.

The situation in the US, already the world’s worst-hit country, has continued to deteriorate as it saw the highest number of infections recorded in one day on January 2, with more than 277,000.

The death toll there stands at 350,215, according to official figures – the highest in the world.