Post festival season, Covid cases have spiked in India. With 44,376 new Covid-19 infections, India’s tally mounted to 92,22,217 on Wednesday. With 481 new deaths, the toll mounted to 1,34,699. Total active cases stand at 4,44,746. Total discharged cases are at 86,42,771 with 37,816 new discharges in the last 24 hrs.
PM Modi held Coronavirus Review Meeting with Chief Ministers. He held one meeting with the CMs of the worst affected states and another on the vaccine distribution strategy and the covid situation in the country.
He urged states to send their detailed plans on vaccine administration. With five vaccines under different phases of clinical trial in India with the Serum Institute of India conducting phase-3 trial of the Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine, while indigenously developed Bharat Biotech and ICMR vaccine has already started the phase III clinical trial. Indigenously-developed vaccine by Zydus Cadila has completed phase-2 clinical trial in the country.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will soon start combined phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India. Biological E. Ltd has started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate.