Secondary outcomes from the trial suggest the vaccines also produce a T cell response within 28 days, the researchers said. (File photo)
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The Centre on Tuesday said the three vaccine candidates for Covid-19 currently in the human trial stage are on track but pointed out that not every vaccine candidate can deliver successful results.
“Three vaccines in the human trials (stage) are on track. The information on the progress of the trial has been shared. The review was taken… Pricing is perhaps complex because some of them are at an early stage. This information will be refined as we move along. There is no firm information. But we have asked on a price range (of the potential vaccine) from individual manufacturers,” NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul, who also chairs the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration said.
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Paul also said the results of two vaccines currently in human trial phases 1 and 2 “will be available in a few weeks”.
“They still have to look at the antibody titer and other results. It is not right to say on which date a vaccine will be termed successful and will be made available. It is a scientific process. It has to unfold. Let us wait and watch,” he said.
“I want to convey a word of caution. Don’t assume any vaccine going for trial will be successful. We want these three vaccines and others to succeed but keep in mind it is not always 100 per cent success when we develop vaccines. Let us keep our fingers crossed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the average recovered Covid-19 cases are now more than 55,000 and the average positivity rate between August 12 and 18 has fallen to 7.72 per cent as against 9.52 per cent recorded the previous week.
“If we look at the new cases being reported from August 13 till today, we are seeing a trend in reduction of active cases. However, in the context of a pandemic, five days is too short a time… There is also a downward trend in terms of absolute numbers of deaths being reported and the fatality rate day-on-day. This is satisfying. However, there is no reason to slacken our guard. We have to implement testing, surveillance, and containment with the same efficiency,” Bhushan said.
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Speaking on the weekly trend, Paul said, “The trend is reassuring. However, for a country of our size, to interpret the data for such a small period (of five days) is not right… We have to reduce deaths. We can scientifically control more cases… we have armamentarium for testing. Despite increasing the testing capacity, the positivity had come down. However, the challenge continues as a large population is still susceptible.”
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
