Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday India will pave the path for the rest of the world with its vaccine production and delivery capacity and pull humanity out of the crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Your Excellency, even though the pandemic presented difficulties and its own set of challenges, India made sure that its pharmaceutical industries send essential medicines to more than 150 nations,” Modi said while addressing the United Nations General Assembly’s 75th session.
“As the world’s largest vaccine producing nation, I want to assure the world community that India’s vaccine production and production delivery ability will help humanity tide over this crisis,” the Prime Minister said in a pre-recorded speech in Hindi.
“We are now approaching Phase III of our clinical trials. India will also help cold chain and cold storage facilities of other nations as well,” he added.
India has said more than four vaccines against Covid-19 are in advanced stages of pre-clinical trial in the country. The government is also closely tracking the progress of candidates being tested by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited and Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is one of the frontrunners in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine in India. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has struck a production and clinical trials deal with AstraZeneca for the UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will begin its Phase III trials in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow and Gorakhpur. Serum Institute of India will also begin its Phase III trials of the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune.
{{/usCountry}}Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will begin its Phase III trials in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow and Gorakhpur. Serum Institute of India will also begin its Phase III trials of the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune.
{{/usCountry}}PM Modi also called for a stronger global response towards the Covid-19 pandemic. In his speech, he questioned the United Nations, “Where is the United Nations in this joint fight against the pandemic? Where is its effective response?”
Globally, more than 32.8 million people have been infected with Sars-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease, of which 994,503 people have lost their lives. India has recorded 5,903,932 cases so far with 93,379 people dead.