Updated: October 17, 2020 7:13:22 am
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, said that a Covid-19 vaccine should be ready by the second quarter of next year. (Representative image)
India can receive a Covid-19 vaccine by March 2021, provided regulators give signals quickly, “as several manufacturers are working on it,” according to Dr. Suresh Jadhav, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, which is testing the Oxford-AstraZeneca. candidate for a vaccine in the country.
He told The Indian Express that India is moving fast towards vaccine development as two manufacturers are already in phase 3 testing and one in phase 2, and more players are joining the race.
Stating that there are “ups and downs in any vaccine clinical trial,” Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, also said that a Covid-19 vaccine should be ready by the second quarter of next year. She told The Indian Express: “By January 2021 we should be able to see results, and by the second quarter of 2021 the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine should be ready.”
Dr Swaminathan, however, reiterated the WHO stance against allowing the virus to spread uncontrollably to achieve herd immunity, emphasizing that the concept should be discussed only in the context of a vaccine. She told The Indian Express that once there is a vaccine, one can aspire to have herd immunity, as it will be necessary to vaccinate at least 70 percent of people and protect them to break transmission.
Read | PM Modi takes stock of the Covid vaccine distribution plans
Addressing India’s e-Summit on Vaccine Accessibility, Dr Jadhav said: “We can produce between 700 and 800 million doses of vaccines each year once things are optimized. Although 55 percent of the population is less than 50 years old, according to the availability of vaccines, health workers should receive vaccines first, then people over 60 with comorbidities, followed by the rest of the population. “
Regarding the Serum Institute, he said: “We will be ready with 60-70 million doses of vaccines by December 2020, but that will hit the market in 2021 after the approval of the license. From then on, we will produce more and more doses, with the permission of the government. “
Speaking at the same event, Professor Bejon Kumar Misra, an expert on international consumer policy, said it is important that the vaccine is thoroughly tested before launch.
Samir Deb, Southeast Asian Pharmaceutical Professional, Vaccine Consultant and Public Affairs, said: “The proven success factors of the H1N1 flu and Ebola have resulted in guiding principles in the development of the Covid-19 vaccine.”
Dr Jadhav said: “It takes eight to 10 years to develop a vaccine, but this is the third time that we can produce this in a short time. WHO has also taken the initiative to make the process quick and easy ”.
On herd immunity, Dr Swaminathan told The Indian Express: “It is not a good idea to try to achieve herd immunity by letting the infection spread wild in the population. We need to speak in terms of a vaccine; we need to vaccinate enough people; immunity and herd immunity can be achieved safely with a vaccine. Through natural infection it can be achieved (herd immunity), but it will have a great human cost ”.
He also said that there are “actions we can take to slow transmission through public health measures, and also ensure that sufficient testing, isolation and contract tracing are done to ensure lives are saved.”
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