PM Modi was laying the foundation stone for an AIIMS in Gujarat’s Rajkot remotely.
New Delhi:
Preparations to administer the coronavirus vaccine to Indians are in the final stages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, a day after government-appointed experts reviewed emergency use requests submitted by three pharmacists. .
“Preparations are in the final stages for the COVID-19 vaccination program. People will get the vaccine made in India,” said Prime Minister Modi, laying the foundation stone for the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). in Rajkot of Gujarat.
Although the number of new coronavirus cases is declining in the country, people should not lower their guard and strictly follow coronavirus safety measures even after vaccination, he said.
“I used to say ‘jab tak davai nahi dhilai nahi‘(Don’t stop until vaccination) but now our mantra for 2021 should be: Davai bhi, kadaai bhi (yes to medicine and yes to precaution), “said Prime Minister Modi.
Applications for emergency use approval for coronavirus vaccines submitted by the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer were considered by a government-appointed panel of experts on Wednesday.
Serum Institute which is manufacturing the ‘Covishield’ vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and major pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech, which has partnered with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for their ‘Covaxin’ panel presentations. Pfizer has sought more time to present its data.
Analysis of the data is ongoing and the panel will meet again on Friday, a government statement said.
Once the vaccines are approved by the expert panel, the applications will be forwarded to the Comptroller General of Medicines of India (DCGI) for final approval. The government wants to start administering the vaccines starting next month.
India, which has the second highest number of COVID-19 infections in the world after the United States, plans to inoculate 30 million people in the next six to eight months and the affordable Oxford vaccine is its best hope.
Although the Indian government has yet to sign a purchase agreement with the Serum Institute, the company says it will focus on its local market first and then export, mainly to countries in South Asia and Africa.
.
