NEW DELHI : Defending its move to fast-track clinical trials to launch the indigenous coronavirus vaccine by 15 August, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday clarified that it only meant to envisage a vaccine by Independence Day and did not fix a deadline for its launch.“Our internal communication is being misinterpreted.
We only said that that we envisage to have a vaccine by 15 August and it is not a deadline. We have not said that we will launch a vaccine by then.
The process can be expedited but the vaccine still will have to undergo all safety clinical trials," a senior official from ICMR told Mint.“In the larger public health interest, it is important for ICMR to expedite the clinical trials with a promising indigenous.