Coronavirus: PM Narendra Modi at a meeting to discuss India’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a virtual meeting with senior officials, including those of the center’s think tank, NITI Aayog, on India’s strategy to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and make it accessible to the masses.
“A meeting was held to review India’s vaccination strategy and the way forward. Important topics related to the progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals and procurement were discussed,” PM Modi tweeted.
“Various issues were reviewed such as prioritization of population groups, communication with health workers, increased cold chain infrastructure, incorporation of vaccinators and a technology platform for vaccine deployment,” he tweeted.
A meeting was held to review India’s vaccination strategy and the way forward. Important topics related to the progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals, and procurement were discussed. pic.twitter.com/nwZuoMFA0N
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2020
Several pharmaceutical companies are involved in the development of a vaccine to combat COVID-19, which has killed millions across nations since its outbreak in China in December last year.
Many are in advanced stages of trials and have reported more than 90 percent effectiveness.
The third phase of human trials of Covaxin, India’s homemade vaccine, began today at an institute in Odisha, the PTI news agency reported. It was administered to two recruits at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, the only institute in Odisha chosen by the Indian Council of Medical Research for the human trial of the vaccine, said E Venkata Rao, principal investigator of the human trial Covaxin. .
The executive director of the vaccine maker Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla, said Thursday that Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine should be available to healthcare workers and the elderly in February next year and in April to the public in general. He said it would be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two doses needed by the public, depending on the final results of the trial and regulatory approvals.
India’s new coronavirus infections rose by 45,882 in the past 24 hours to reach 90,04,365, government data shows. Recoveries increased to 84.28 lakh, bringing the national recovery rate to 93.6%. As many as 584 people have died from the disease since Thursday, the total number so far being 1.32,162. There are up to 4,43,794 active cases in the country.
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