New Delhi: The development of the country’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin is a true success story for public-private partnerships in India, based on mutual respect, trust and transparency, said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.
During the launch of “Going Viral, Making of Covaxin: The Inside Story” book, Dr. Ella emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships to make Covaxin a reality.
“The development of Covaxin is a true success story for public-private partnerships in India, based on mutual respect, trust and transparency,” he said.
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday unveiled “Going Viral, Making of Covaxin: The Inside Story” book, which captures first-hand experiences of scientists who worked tirelessly to develop India’s first indigenous population COVID-19 vaccine.
Written by Professor (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Director-General of the Council, at the India International Center has been published by Rupa Publications and is an attempt to take readers on a journey to develop India’s homemade vaccine.
“Viral captures, the first-hand experiences of scientists who worked 24 hours a day to create India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in a record time of less than eight months, ”ICMR said in a statement.
The book, a product of extraordinary times, sheds light on the resilience and courage portrayed by India’s scientific community, in the face of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty.
In his book, Professor (Dr) Bhargava also highlighted some lesser-known facts behind the making of Covaxin, including the innovative ways in which scientists navigated a strict nationwide constraint to conduct India’s first seroprevalence survey.
In another anecdote, the author highlighted the important role that 20 monkeys play in ensuring that millions of Indians across the country have access to this life-saving vaccine.
With the launch of Going Viral, Dr Balram Bhargava highlighted the tremendous power of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Independent India) to fight the opportunity and stand high in the global public health community.
“This is the effort of the scientists, researchers and all the ICMR staff that has been established,” he said.
Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare said: “India has come a long way in the fight against COVID-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been actively involved in COVID-19 RNA extraction, test kit development, and vaccine development. Effective collaboration, strong leadership and effective teamwork made it possible! ” Professor Vijay Raghavan, chief scientific adviser to the government, said we should ensure that everyone is vaccinated and apply safety measures such as wearing a mask and social distance.
“I must congratulate ICMR for their partnership with Bharat Biotech. It was timely and efficient. “Now we have to ensure that everyone is vaccinated and apply safety measures such as wearing a mask and social distances,” he quoted Raghavan as saying.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the list of emergency use of Covaxin and said it had been found that the Bharat Biotech’s vaccine was 78 percent effective against the COVID-19 of any severity, 14 or more days after the second dose.
The native, inactivated vaccine – Covaxin – is being developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high restriction facility in Genome Valley in Hyderabad.
The vaccine is formulated from an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen and is presented in single-dose vials and multidose vials of 5, 10 and 20 doses.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the list of emergency use of Covaxin and said it had been found that the Bharat Biotech’s vaccine was 78 percent effective against the COVID-19 of any severity, 14 or more days after the second dose.
The native, inactivated vaccine – Covaxin – is being developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high restriction facility in Genome Valley in Hyderabad.
The vaccine is formulated from an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen and is presented in single-dose vials and multidose vials of 5, 10 and 20 doses.
Source: Telangana Today