Vaccine emerges as frontrunner to combat novel coronavirus

New Delhi, April 19 (ICMR) The Indian Council of Medical Research on Sunday said that vaccines developed or observed for the novel coronavirus by five groups of scientists are in the process of coming into human trial phase after passing trials on animals.

Speaking at a daily media briefing here, ICMR’s Chief Scientist Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar said that at least 70 groups of scientists across the world have been working on development of vaccine for the novel coronavirus and five groups have come into human trial phase.

“At least five out of 70 groups of scientists who are conducting research on the vaccine of novel coronavirus are in the process of coming to the human trial stage. One of the groups is researching on ChAdOX1 vaccine, and not much side effect of the vaccine was observed on the animals.

“There is a candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 called ChAdOx1 that is one of the front runners in the race to find a vaccine for novel coronavirus,” he said.

Gangakhedkar said that scientists are hopeful that ChAdOX1 vaccine may work in coronavirus cases.

“We are also hopeful and wish that it works….everyone will get benefits if a vaccine is developed.”

–IANS

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