New Delhi: Just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi did a 3-city whirlwind tour to check on the progress made in developing a vaccine against the coronavirus pandemic, his office on Sunday announced that PM Modi will be interacting with three more teams on Monday. The interaction will happen via video conferencing with the teams from Gennova Biopharma, Biological E and Dr. Reddy’s regarding the development work for a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Tomorrow, on November 30, 2020, PM Narendra Modi will interact, via video conferencing, with three teams that are involved in developing a COVID-19 vaccine. The teams he will interact with are from Gennova Biopharma, Biological E and Dr Reddy’s,” the PMO tweeted.
Top drug regulator, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, is conducting clinical trials of Russia’s Sputnik V in India, and has said it expects late-stage trials to be completed by March 2021. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has spoken of Dr Reddy’s being involved with distribution once Sputnik V gets regulatory approval in the country.
Meanwhile, Biological E. Ltd has also started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi had visited Serum Institute of India in Pune as part of efforts to get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges, and roadmap in India’s endeavor to vaccinate its citizens against COVID-19. He had also visited Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad and Bharat Biotech facility at Hyderabad on Saturday as part of his three-city visit to personally review the vaccine development and manufacturing process against COVID-19.
After the extensive review, PM Modi expressed pride in the fact that India’s indigenous vaccine development has progressed at such a rapid pace so far. He also spoke on how India is following sound principles of science in the entire journey of vaccine development, while also asking for suggestions to make the vaccine distribution process better.
India reported 41,810 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 93,92,920, according to the data by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. The country reported more recoveries than new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours. The total active cases reached 4,53,956 while the total recoveries climbed to 88,02,267 with 42,298 new discharges in a single day. With 496 new deaths, the toll mounted to 1,36,696.
Today is the 22nd day when India reported less than 50,000 cases in a day. The last time daily new cases crossed the 50,000-threshold was on November 7.