COVID-19: ICMR bats for Oxford's vaccine as frontrunner, WHO yet to include it in draft

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is batting for a candidate Coronavirus vaccine called ChAdOX1 that is being developed by the researchers at the University of Oxford. According to the ICMR, the vaccine is the frontrunner in the race to curb the deadly virus. 

During a daily press briefing, ICMR Chief Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar stated that at least 70 groups of scientists across the world have been working towards a novel coronavirus vaccine and five groups have come into human trial phase. He further added that Oxford's ChAdOX1 vaccine is leading it. According to reports, the University of Oxford has assured that the vaccine will be available by September. Reportedly, they also promised one million doses of the vaccine by September.

WHO lists 3 frontrunners

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed only three candidate vaccines in its latest draft landscape of COVID-19 vaccines. However, Oxford's ChAdOX1 is yet to be included in the list. According to the WHO draft, out of the 70 candidate vaccines, three are leading from-- CanSino Biological Inc and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology; Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc; and Moderna Inc along with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US.

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'COVID-19 vaccine months away': WHO 

In a massive and worrying statement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on March 28 had said that the vaccine for coronavirus will still take at least 12 to 18 months. Speaking about the vaccine, he had said, "One of the most important areas of international cooperation is research and development. A vaccine is still at least 12 to 18 months away. In the meantime, we recognise that there is an urgent need for therapeutics to treat patients and save lives."

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The Coronavirus Crisis

First detected in China's Wuhan, at present, there are around 2,406,905 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection across the globe and the disease has led to the death of around 165,058 people. In a ray of hope, around 6,17,013 people are also reported to have recovered.

Read: Coronavirus: 250 prisoners to be shifted from Tihar and Rohini jails to Mandoli prison

Meanwhile, in India, according to the latest update of the Union Health Ministry, there are currently a total of 16,116 Coronavirus cases in the country, including 13,295 active cases. While 519 deaths have been reported overall, around 2,302 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

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