Vaccine Delivery System On Lines Of Conducting Polls: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested developing a vaccine delivery system on the lines of conducting the polls and disaster management, involving all levels of the government and citizen groups. On Saturday, he chaired a meeting to review the ongoing pandemic in the country.

Modi also called for complete preparedness to ensure speedy access to Covid-19 vaccines for every citizen.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in a statement, said that three vaccines were in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III clinical trials. The statement also said that Indian scientists and research teams are collaborating and strengthening the research capacities in neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), in consultation with state governments and all relevant stakeholders have prepared and presented a detailed blueprint of vaccine storage, distribution, and administration, the government said.

India may get vaccine by March 2021: SII

Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India executive director Dr Suresh Jadhav said that India may get a Covid-19 vaccine by March, 2021.

“India may get Covid-19 vaccine by March 2021 provided the regulators signal with the processes fast as multiple manufacturers are working on it,” Dr Jadhav said at the India Vaccine Accessibility e-Summit organised by HEAL Foundation in association with ICCIDD.

SII can produce 700-800 million vaccine dosages every year once things are streamlined, he added.

Pune-based SII signed a deal with British-Swedish company AstraZeneca to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford. The final stage of the clinical trial of Oxford’s vaccine has already started in the country.

India’s Covid-19 caseload sprinted past 74 lakh, while the number of patients who recuperated from the disease has crossed 65 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 87.78 per cent, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.