The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced this Saturday that three possible vaccines against Covid-19 are being developed in the country, which are still in different testing periods and that the Asian nation has the capacity to mass-manufacture the one that be successful.
“Today in India, not one, not two, but three vaccines are in different phases of the testing period. As soon as the scientists give the go-ahead, the country is ready to produce (the vaccine) in large numbers, “announced the prime minister during his speech on the occasion of the 74th Anniversary of the country’s Independence Day, held this Saturday in New Delhi.
Although Modi did not reveal which laboratories or companies are developing these projects, he did state that the State “has prepared the infrastructure to vaccinate every person in the country.” “We have a roadmap ready for that,” he insisted.
On a lackluster Independence Day, with most events canceled by the pandemic, Modi began his speech at the iconic Red Fort in old Delhi with a tribute to healthcare professionals battling the virus, some of whom they were invited to the event.
“We are going through strange times. Today I do not see children here in the Red Fort due to the pandemic that we are suffering. On behalf of the entire Nation, I want to thank the efforts of all the coronavirus warriors. All those health workers, doctors and nurses, who work tirelessly to serve the Nation, ”he said.
“In this coronavirus crisis, many families have been affected, many have lost their lives. I know that with the resolution of the 1,300 million Indians we will overcome this crisis, “he said.
Obtaining a vaccine is essential for a country that has not yet managed to bend the contagion curve and that, this same Saturday, exceeded 2.5 million positive cases (2,526,192), of which 49,036 have died, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Public Health.
In just a month, infections have doubled in India, which left behind its strict confinement in early June with just 250,000 positives.
Since then and despite the escalation of infections, the Government has gradually eliminated the restrictions and the country is already, since the beginning of August, in its third phase of de-escalation, with only mass events or places that bring together a large number of people closed.
The Government justifies these measures in the high percentage of recovered (71.7%) and the low death toll compared to other countries, since they represent 1.9% of those infected, according to official data.
Phase 3 of clinical trials has already begun with two vaccine prototypes from the United States and one in China