According to Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, India’s pharmaceutical industry will be able to produce COVID-19 vaccines not just for the country but also for the entire world.
The trustee and co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation added that India had done a lot of very important things, and India’s pharmaceutical industry is working to develop coronavirus vaccine on great capacities like they used to do for other diseases.
Gates said because of India’s gigantic size and urban centers with a lot of population density; the country is facing a huge challenge due to the COVID-19 crisis. He was speaking in a documentary — COVID-19: India’s War Against The Virus — to be premiered on Discovery Plus this (Thursday) evening.
India has a huge capacity with the vaccine and drug companies who are huge suppliers to the world; he commented on the strength of the pharma industry in India. The Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine company, and India produces more vaccines than anywhere in the world. There are other companies also in India like Bio E, Bharat (Biotech) who are huge suppliers of vaccines, he said.
Gates shared his excitement that Indian pharma companies
will be able to produce vaccines not just for India but for the whole world, stating that India joined Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which is a group working on a global basis to build vaccine platforms. Vaccines will help to end the pandemic by reducing the deaths and making sure we are immune.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has partnered with the Indian government, especially with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the office of the principal scientific advisor, and the department of biotechnology to provide advice and help about getting these tools going.
India is still at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, but a lot of important things have been done already, Gates appreciated India’s efforts. India is trying to reduce the spread of the virus while making sure there are equipment and food availability for people. According to Bill gates, India has the potential to produce vaccines for the entire world, not just for India.
The Gates Foundation had been working with the Indian government over the last decade on issues like introducing new vaccines. When the COVID-19 crisis began, the foundation stepped in and helped in filling gaps by funding the works on detection and isolation.
The foundation was particularly active in states like Bihar and UP. To take the foundation’s online platforms to help India’s frontline health workers, it is also working with India’s department of personnel and training.
