New Delhi: Several countries have been approaching India for receiving vaccine supply and it will also help interested countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of vaccines, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday.
Speaking at a session on Covid-19 related issues for diplomatic missions and international organisations, Mr Shringla said, ‘‘We are exploring the possibility of conducting phase III trials in a few of our partner countries. We are also looking forward to research collaboration in the field of vaccine development.’’
Based on willingness, India may also go for joint production of vaccines in some countries, he said.
‘‘We have already conducted online training sessions for nearly 90 participants from 8 neighbouring countries to develop capacity in clinical trials and clinical practices. Based on demand, we can conduct more such training courses,’’ the foreign secretary said.
Talking about Covid cases in India, he said, ‘‘India’s recovery rate is now 91.96 % (as on 3 November 2020) and case fatality rate has dropped to 1.49 %. With progressively falling positivity rate, testing has worked as an effective tool to limit the spread of infection. You will learn more on this in the presentation to follow.’’
In order to give a flavour of India’s robust and resilient progress in vaccine development and in the trial process, ‘‘we have planned to take a delegation of resident Ambassadors for a tour of our vaccine and diagnostic facilities in Pune,’’ the secretary said.
