Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparations being undertaken for vaccination against COVID-19, as and when a vaccine is available. The Prime Minister directed officials to evaluate various technology tools to ensure efficient and timely vaccination in due course of time. He also emphasised that detailed planning for such large scale vaccination should be undertaken immediately. The current status of Indian and global vaccine development efforts was also reviewed at the meeting. The Prime Minister highlighted that India’s responsibility and commitment to the global community to play an enabling role in global vaccination efforts against COVID-19. PM-CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund Trust had earlier allocated Rs 100 crore for coronavirus vaccine development. India’s coronavirus count has reached 5,66,840 including 16,893 deaths, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday. Earlier, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech announced that it has successfully developed Covaxin, India’s first vaccine candidate for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV). The Drug Controller General of India – CDSCO, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare granted permission to initiate Phase I & II Human clinical trials after the company submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response. Human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India in July 2020. The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech.
