PM Modi to review the progress of COVID-19 vaccine development in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take off tomorrow for his three-city visit during which he will be reviewing the development process the COVID-19 vaccines. During his three-city visit, the Prime Minister will be visiting Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune to take stock of the progress of vaccine preparations.

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PM Modi will meet and have discussion with scientists regarding the COVID-19 vaccine to get a first hand view of the preparations and challenges.

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The vaccine being developed at the Zydus Biotech Park is called ZyCov-D. Similarly, the vaccine candidates of Bharat Biotech is named called Covaxin. Pune’s Serum Institute of India is developing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. All three vaccine candidates are currently undergoing phase three trials. Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, a Pune-based biotechnology company, is set to begin Phase 1 human trials of its vaccine candidate. It is the only Indian company to have worked on making an mRNA-based vaccine, like Moderna and Pfizer.

Earlier, PM Modi had asked the states to start working on cold storage facilities for the vaccine. During a coronavirus review meeting held a few days ago that was attended by eight states, PM Modi had emphasised a synchronised action by the state governments to collectively decide the path forward. Uttar Pradesh government has launched a massive exercise to set up mechanisms to store the COVID-19 vaccine so that it can be administered to people without difficulty.

Haryana Health Minister first to get vaccinated

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij was administered a trial dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin at a hospital at Ambala on November after Phase three trial of the Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN began in the state. Vij had volunteered to get vaccinated as the first volunteer in the Phase 3 trials that will be conducted on 26,000 volunteers.

Apart from these companies, Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Lab is also working for the clinical trials of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.