New Delhi: India’s search for the coronavirus vaccine progresses further as the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan informed on Sunday that 14 candidate vaccines may enter the clinical stage soon.
According to a report by the news agency IANS, Vardhan said that vaccine which is all in pre-clinical trial stage may be able to reach the clinical trial stage in the next 4-5 months during an online interaction with BJP leader G.V.L. Narasimha Rao.
But the minister said that also cautioned that we can’t expect a vaccine for coronavirus too soon as the process for developing a vaccine is long. He said, It will take a minimum of one year for the development of any vaccine even if it is developed earliest. Therefore, use social distancing, masks, and follow hand and physical hygiene -- the biggest safeguard against the disease -- till any vaccine or cure is found."
The minister also said that the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology is supporting the work of researchers and industries by providing them grants and financial support.
Across the world many researchers and institutes are racing to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. The vaccine being developed at the Jenner Institute, Oxford University entered human trials in April. The latest reports say that they have begun phases 2 and 3 of the human trails which will see the vaccine being tested on the elderly and children. According to a statement by the institute, for this stage of the study they will enroll up to 10,260 adults and children across the UK. Phase three of the trial will involve studying the effects on people over the age of 18.
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