India was one of the first countries to adopt a “flexible” lockdown approach and thus managed to keep death rates from COVID-19 relatively low, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the launch of the Annual Meeting of Large Challenges, organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The three-day program aims to bring together policy makers and scientific leaders, calling for scientific collaboration to solve global health problems, with an emphasis on the coronavirus (COVID-19) and will feature talks from leaders, panel discussions and informal virtual conversations on various topics. .
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Around 1,600 people from 40 countries are expected to participate in this meeting.
“India is now at the forefront of the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. We are working to implement a well-established vaccine management system. This digitized network with a digital health ID will be used to ensure the health of our citizens, ”Modi said in his keynote address.
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“The size, scale and diversity of India have piqued the curiosity of the world community. Thanks to a people-driven approach, we’ve kept our death rates low. We are seeing a daily decrease in case growth and we have a high recovery rate of 88% and this is because we adopt a flexible lockdown. We were among the first to promote the use of masks and rapid antigen tests, ”said the Prime Minister.
India’s vaccine administration system would be used to ensure immunization of citizens. “We are known for our ability to manufacture low-cost vaccines,” Modi said, adding: “We want to help other nations improve their capabilities in vaccine manufacturing and immunization.”
India’s research expertise and talent would place it at the center of global health research.
Along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the meeting co-hosts include the Department of Biotechnology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Government of India, the Indian Council for Medical Research and NITI Aayog.
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