AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Wednesday welcomed the UK government’s decision to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the UK, calling it a “major step forward”, adding that India will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in a few days.
“It is very good news that AstraZeneca has obtained approval for its vaccine from the UK regulatory authorities. They have strong data and in India and the Serum Institute of India is developing the same vaccine. This is a big step forward not only for India but many parts of the world, “Dr. Guleria told ANI in an interview.
“This vaccine can be stored at two to eight degrees Celsius. Therefore, it would be easy to store and transport. Storage can be done using a simple refrigerator instead of what is required in the minus 70 degrees Celsius Pfizer vaccine.” he added.
Speaking about the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine in India, Dr. Guleria said: “India will launch COVID-19 vaccines in a large part of the country and therefore we will see the vaccine available in our country in the very near future. .. “
“Now, we have data, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved based on the studies in the UK, Brazil and South Africa. There is also data from the Serum Institute of India (SII). I think once the Regulatory authority data, we should get approval for the vaccine in the county within a few days. I’d say days rather than weeks or months, “he added.
It should be noted that Dr. Guleria is a member of the national working group on the management of Covid-19. Dr Guleria noted that India has a “solid plan when it comes to vaccination.”
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“We vaccinate children and pregnant women as part of our universal immunization program. Using the same platform to store vaccines at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, it will be easier for us to store COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Guleria.
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