The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) made a breakthrough announcement related to COVID19.
ICMR said it would be coming up with an indigenous
COVID-19 vaccine called ‘COVIX’ by August 15, 2020.
In the latest move, the Council sent a letter to select medical institutions and hospitals to expedite the vaccine clinical trials.
ICMR worked with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International (BBI) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) to develop this vaccine.
The Drug Controller General of India (DGC) already gave its nod for human trials of this vaccine.
After identifying twelve new clinical sites, ICMR directed those institutions and principal investigators to initiate subject enrolment by July 07, 2020.
ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava, in his letter to the institutions, said this is one of the ‘top priority projects which is being monitored at the top-most level of the government”.
After successful completion of all human trials, ICMR has envisaged launching this vaccine for public health use by August 15, 2020.
“In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial and ensure subject initiation is initiated no later than July 07, 2020,” ICMR DG told the institutions in the letter.
The letter further informs that this vaccine was derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 that ICMR-NIV isolated earlier.
Meanwhile, the country touched a new single-day high number of 20,000 in the last 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 625,544.
The death toll has touched 18,213 after 379 new fatalities.
More COVID-19 vaccine News:
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- UK Vaccine Trials Fail, US One Step Ahead!
- Vaccine Development on Pace!
- Worst-case Scenario of ‘No Covid-19 Vaccine At All’: Experts
- Vaccine Likely By End of Sept 2020?
