New Delhi: A vaccine against coronavirus is expected to be available in India by early next year. There could also be vaccines from more than one source, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informed Tuesday.
“We’re expecting that early next year, we should have vaccine in India from maybe more than one source. Our expert groups are already formulating and devising strategies to plan on how to roll out the distribution of the vaccines in India. It is all about who do we get vaccinated first. These could be the health workers in the fight against COVID-19 and also old people who are more vulnerable to the virus,” Harsh Vardhan said during a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM).
At present, four coronavirus vaccines are in advanced stages of pre-clinical trial in India. Human trials of all the four vaccines are on and the health minister said all safety guidelines are being followed properly.
It should be stated here that Vardhan had earlier said that a COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available by the first quarter of 2021 in India.
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The Union Minister also informed that experts are currently busy chalking out plans on how to roll out the distribution of the vaccine in India.
Vardhan’s statement came at a time when India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed the 71 lakh-mark. As per the Ministry of Health data released Tuesday, the coronavirus cases in India stands at 71,75,881 including 8,38,729 active cases, 62,27,296 cured and 1,09,856 deaths.
India is the second worst affect country by the coronavirus pandemic after the United States.