NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. VK Paul announced on Tuesday that the Drugs Controller General of India has given approval for clinical trials with another vaccine candidate from India. Six vaccines are currently being clinically tested in the country.
“This week the Drugs Controller General of India approved clinical trials for another vaccine candidate from India. The Genoa-based company developed a vaccine with the help of the Indian government’s Department of Biotechnology research agency, ”said Dr. Paul during a press conference.
He said the technology used here is the same as the Pfizer vaccine.
“Unlike Pfizer vaccines or other vaccines, this vaccine – if it exists – can be kept in a normal refrigerator under normal cold chain conditions. Six vaccines are currently being clinically tested in this country, ”said Dr. Paul.
The NITI Aayog member also expressed concern about the spread of Covid-19 amid continued protest from farmers on the state capital’s borders. “We should take precautionary measures, messages (farmers) have been sent to them (farmers) by the government. The democracy process should continue, but we should continue to follow the Covid-19 guidelines, ”he said.
Dr. Paul praised the states and union territories that recently lowered the spike in Covid-19 cases, and said they were pleased to note that Delhi had made progress.
“We congratulate the Delhi government, as well as other governments for having contributed so well to such significant control recently. There are states where we still have concerns. We urge the government and citizens of Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh to make every effort to bring the situation under control, ”said Paul.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at the press conference that the number of cases per million people in India remains among the lowest in the world.
“29,000 cold chain points, 240 walk-in refrigerators, 70 walk-in freezers, 45,000 ice-cold refrigerators, 41,000 freezers and 300 solar refrigerators are used. All of these devices have already reached state governments, ”said Bhushan.
He said the number of COVID-19 cases in India is 7,178 per million people, while the global average is 9,000. He also expressed concern about the adverse effects of vaccination and suggested that the states and territories of the Union prepare for it.
“Post-immunization adverse events are a critical issue. If we run a universal vaccination program that has been in place for decades, children and pregnant women will experience some adverse effects after vaccination, ”said Bhushan.
“So we cannot deny the likelihood of an adverse event when the Covid vaccination starts. In countries where vaccination has already started, particularly the UK, adverse events occurred on the first day. It is therefore important that states and UTs also prepare for this, ”he added.
This is due to the fact that the total number of Covid-19 cases in India hit 99.06,165 with 22,065 new cases and 254 new deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. So far, a total of 1,43,709 people have died from the virus.