India likely to get its first covid vaccine website next week: 10 updates
ICMR is creating the portal as a repository for all information related to vaccine development in IndiaIn the first phase, the portal will provide all information related to COVID-19 vaccines in India and abroad
India will soon have a vaccine portal which will provide information related to the COVID-19 vaccine development in India and abroad. It is being developed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the updates will be in several regional languages in addition to English. The portal is likely to be made public by the next week.
Here are 10 things to know about ICMR's vaccine portal:
1) In the first phase, the portal will provide all information related to COVID-19 vaccines in India and abroad.
2) Information about all other vaccines used to prevent various other ailments will be put on the portal in phases.
3) In India, three COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in different phases of clinical trials.
4) Two COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and Zydus Cadila Ltd are in phase 2 trials.
5) The Oxford vaccine that will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India is in advanced trials.
6) Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has voiced optimism that India's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus could be available by end of this year 2020.
7) "One of our COVID-19 vaccine candidates is in the third phase of the clinical trial. We are very confident that a vaccine will be developed by end of this year," Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.
8) The vaccine portal will also fetch the information related to COVID-19 vaccine from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as available on their website.
9) Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech has been allowed to conduct a separate trial for administrating ‘Covaxin’, its covid-19 vaccine candidate, through intradermal route, that is just under the skin, as against the intramuscular route in the current trial.
10) A top ICMR official told a parliamentary panel earlier this week that phase-two clinical trial of two indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates have almost been completed and emergency authorisation of a vaccine could be considered if the Centre decides so. (With Agency Inputs)
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