As coronavirus pandemic brings life across the globe to a standstill, there looks to be no respite from the novel virus as cases continue to grow.?
India too, has seen cases rise in last few days and at present 75 people have tested positive for the bug. While measures have been taken to control the spread, there is no sure shot fix for the problem.?
Now senior health ministry officials have said said that it will take around one-and-a-half to two years for India to develop a vaccine for novel coronavirus even with expedited clinical trials.
The novel coronavirus has affected 75 people in the country, including 17 foreign nationals. The 17 affected foreign nationals include 16 Italians and a Canadian patient.??
"There are two ways of going for vaccine preparation. One is either you look at the sequences of the gene which then may lead to development of antibodies, or you actually have the strain and then you try to develop a vaccine which is always an easier option," he told news agency PTI.?
"Coronavirus is difficult to isolate. But the efforts of scientists of National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune have been successful and about 11 isolates of coronavirus are available which is a prime requisite for doing any kind of research related to viruses. Even with expedited clinical trials and approvals, it will take around one-and-a-half to two years to develop a vaccine," Raman R Gangakhedkar asserted.
The health ministry has also asked people not to panic and rather take precautionary measures to ensure one's wellbeing. The ministry also added that?there are adequate facilities available for testing.