The Hot Wire for Corona virus updates
A vaccine of hope.
The current global crisis is haunting us for quite a while now, and we all seriously need some good news! After trying our best to stay afloat and positive, we can’t deny the chance of this ship hitting rock bottom. Let’s be honest, though. This unfortunate situation has brought us together and we all have been dining with our families every day, gardening more often, and reading more books.
Oxford University and AstraZeneca have developed a COVID-19 vaccine and they have set out to put it to trial. The Serum Institute of India has always been the black stallion when it comes to coming up with novel clinical solutions and drug discoveries. It has surprised us yet again. Serum Institute of India announced on Tuesday, 21st July 2020 that it will be starting clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccine formulated by Oxford University and AstraZeneca by the end of August. Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, has confirmed the news and informed that they are going to start it with 5000 Indian volunteers. He is hoping to launch the vaccine by June next year. Let’s hope that all goes well. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, India is not far behind. India’s very own biotechnology company Bharat Biotech International Limited located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, is not far behind. After having received the isolated strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, the company generated an indigenous, inactivated vaccine called CovaxinTM. It is India’s first vaccine for COVID-19 and is the brainchild of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV). Supported by the Drug Controller General of India (CDSCO), the company expedited pre-clinical trials and obtained promising results for drug safety and immune response. The CDSCO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now given the “Go-Ahead” to carry out Phase I and Phase II clinical trials which was scheduled to begin throughout the country in July 2020. Bharat Biotech is hopeful of successfully completing all phases of clinical trials and begin commercial production of Covaxin in 2021.
These recent developments by scientists in India as well as the entire world has finally sown the seed of hope in the hearts of people and we hope to see an elixir-vitae emerge soon. Stay tuned for all and any updates about the Corona virus pandemic. We will cover it all!
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Writers
Anushree Krishnamurthy
