Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating his call for utmost caution to stop the spread of Covid-19, said on Saturday that until an effective drug for the novel coronavirus is developed, there should be no lowering of the guard. ‘Jab tak dawai nahi, tab tak dhilai nahi’ (No neglect until a drug is found), the prime minister said as he addressed the virtual ceremony of heating 1.75 lakh houses of houses built in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
At least seven Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological E, are working to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
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Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, developed in partnership with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), is being tested in 12 institutes in India. Covaxin animal trials have been successful and the results showed “remarkable immunogenicity and protective efficacy” in the first phase of clinical trials.
The Serum Institute of India has stopped clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in India when AstraZeneca stopped trials after a volunteer developed neurological symptoms.
On Saturday, India recorded a single-day jump of 97,570 new cases. A total of 1,201 deaths have been reported nationwide in the last 24 hours.
(With contributions from the agency)
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