Maharashtra Health Minister hopeful of India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine

He spoke to ICMR director general Balram Bhargava about the vaccine, Tope said in a statement."I was told clinical trials of the vaccine will be carried out at 13 or 14 hospitals by July 7. Pre-clinical and clinical trials are expected to be completed by August 15," he said.

"I am hopeful about the first India-made vaccine for coronavirus (becoming successful)," he said. PTI

ICMR DG Balram Bhargava has written a letter to Bharat Biotech and principal investigators of medical colleges to complete the trial procedure of indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in a fast track method, so that results of a clinical trial can be launched by August 15.

"This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by the ICMR-National Institute of virology. Pune- ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," the letter read.

A total of 12 institutes have been asked by the ICMR to fast track clinical trials of the vaccine as it is being considered the topmost priority projects which are being monitored by the government.

India reported the highest ever single-day spike of 20,903 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The country's coronavirus case count has risen to 6,25,544.

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