New Delhi, Aug 4: Three vaccines to deal with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection are undergoing clinical trials in the country and work is progressing rapidly in this direction.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balaram Bhargava told a press conference on Tuesday that there was no specific drug to deal with the Coronavirus yet in the world and 141 institutions and medical organisations in the world were working towards developing the vaccine. Of these 26 organisations were in various advanced stages.
Three organisations in India are involved in the development of the Corona vaccine — Bharat Biotech, the DNA vaccine of Zydus Cadila and the Serum Institute.
Dr Bhargava informed that in the first phase of Bharat Biotech’s “Inactivated Virus Vaccine”, trials have been completed at 11 different locations and the Phase II trials have started. The first phase trial of Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine has been completed and the second phase trial is being done at 11 similar locations.
He said the second and third phase clinical trials of the Serum institute’s Recombinant vaccine have been approved and will be started in 17 places in the coming weeks.
After the vaccine is developed, the first priority is its proper distribution and proper storage and also to ensure that their hoarding (stockpiling) is prevented and to see who is to be given first, he said.
“Until such time as an effective vaccine is made in the country, people will have to keep social distance, maintain personal hygiene and wear mask. These habits are a part of life and should be followed even after the vaccine is made,” he exhorted.
He said there have been more than two crore tests of corona virus in the country and more than 6.6 lakh corona samples were tested on Monday.