Published 18:53 IST, July 22nd 2020
Donald Trump ready to 'work with anybody' for COVID-19 vaccine including China
When US Prez Donald Trump was asked if his administration is ‘willing’ to work with the Asian superpower, he said that America is ready to ‘work with anybody".
As the US-China ties are at an all-time low since the beginning of this year, when US President Donald Trump was asked if his administration is ‘willing’ to work with the Asian superpower, he said that America is ready to ‘work with anybody’ that gives positive outcome. While COVID-19 pandemic is tightening its grip across the world, Wuhan-made Chinese vaccine candidate for the fatal disease has shown promising results. In a press briefing on July 21, Trump not only showed a willingness to work with China despite the relation between the country but noted that America is also “very close” to getting a vaccine for the disease that has now infected over 15 million people across the globe.
When Donald Trump was asked if he is willing to work with China he said, “Yeah, we’re willing to work with anybody that’s going to get us a good result. We’re very close to the vaccine. I think we’re going to have some very good results.”
“We’re already in testing; nobody thought that would be possible. Under the old system, it would be a year to two years before you can even think about using the word “testing,” he added.
On the other hand, the US Justice Department announced criminal charges on July 21 and said that the hackers working with Chinese government attacked the company’s that are developing COVID-19 vaccine for the novel coronavirus and stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and trade secrets from firms across the globe. Even though the indictment does not accuse the two Chinese defendants of actually acquiring the research on the pathogen, it successfully underlines the extent to which the scientific discoveries has been the most crucial target for foreign governments as well as the criminal hackers.
‘Covidshield’ to be made in India by December
Meanwhile, after the study published in renowned Lancet Journal said vaccine candidate developed by the Oxford University and AstraZeneca showed positive results in the first two trial phases, the Serum Institute of India that also entered the partnership declared that the vaccine will be named ‘Covidshield’ in India. According to reports, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has stated that the company aims at producing 3 to 4 million doses till the end of December 2020. While talking to a media outlet, he also informed that 'Covishield' will be priced at Rs 1,000 or even less per dose.
Updated 18:53 IST, July 22nd 2020