New Delhi: India, which is taking a step forward in the search for a vaccine against Covid-19, is the fifth country to effectively isolate the strain of the virus, after Japan, Thailand, the United States and China.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India’s most sensible fitness research body, has said isolating the virus is the first step in accelerating the progression of medicines, vaccines and point-of-care kits in the country.
Scientists at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune have isolated 11 strains of Covid-19. However, it will take them between 18 months and two years to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, even if clinical trials are accelerated. the saying.
“It has been very difficult to isolate the coronavirus, but the scientists at NIV Pune have managed to isolate 11 strains. These strains are the prerequisite for any research related to the virus,” said Raman R. Gangakhedkar, head of the Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no vaccine to cure Covid-19. China has used HIV drugs on some COVID-19 patients, but their efficacy needs to be studied. “We used some antiretroviral (ARV) medication in the seven patients who recovered. We only use drugs from the regimen to treat these patients,” Raman R. Gangakhedkar, a scientist at the ICMR.
Although a mixture of anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir were used in Jaipur on an elderly Italian couple infected with the coronavirus, doctors said no conclusions could be drawn from an experiment on a single patient.
The ICMR has also worked intensively with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as well as other departments, to coordinate efforts to combat Covid-19. To date, the ICMR has analysed more than 6,500 samples from 5,900 people, of which 83 cases have been analysed. because of the virus.
The ICMR, which is also the virus control company, has expanded its network of laboratories for Covid-19 control from 51 to 65. The secondary control of reconfirmation of the virus, which until now was carried out only at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), has also been extended to 31 laboratories. These measures will enable India to accelerate the detection of the virus and contribute to effective management.
“The ICMR is prepared to process more sample volumes if the need arises. We should not panic, but we should take precautionary measures. There are robust systems and procedures in place to deal with Covid-19 and the ministry is constantly monitoring the situation. “said Prof. Balram Bhargava, Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR.
On 31 December 2019, WHO reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. The coronavirus disease (Covid-19), known as the causative virus by the Chinese government on January 7. As a component of WHO’s outbreak response strategy, the R
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