ICMR claimed to fast-track the clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The letter issued from ICMR has asked the clinical trial institutions to fast-track the trials of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The letter issued from ICMR has asked the clinical trial institutions to fast-track the trials of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate.The Director-General (DG) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Balram Bhargava, had issued a letter to 12 institutions on July 2 that were selected for carrying out clinical trials of Covaxin, a candidate vaccine.

The letter had proclaimed the timeline for the production of vaccines to the general public by August 15, 2020. It had strictly advised the institutions to fast track all the initiations of the clinical trial by July 7, 2020.

However, ICMR had released a press note on July 4, 2020, where it had mentioned that the letter delivered to the respected trial sites was not to hinder the vaccine process but only aimed at completing the trial phases at earliest. So that population-based trials could be initiated without delay.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.