Live Updates: Four COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates In Human Trial Stage, Says Centre

Coronavirus Live Updates: India administered more than 31.79 lakh COVID vaccine doses on Tuesday, taking the cumulative vaccination coverage to nearly 41.52 crores.

Four COVID-19 vaccine candidates are at different stages of human trials, while one, developed by Genique Life Sciences, is in the advanced pre-clinical stage, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh has said. In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Singh said Cadila Healthcare Ltd's DNA-based vaccine candidate is in phase three clinical trial and it has submitted the interim data for emergency use authorisation. Biological E Ltd's vaccine candidate and Bharat Biotech International Ltd's adeno intranasal vaccine candidate are in phase three clinical trials, while Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd mRNA-vaccine candidate is in phase one clinical trial. Gurgaon-based Genique Life Sciences Pvt Ltd's vaccine candidate is in the advanced pre-clinical stage, he said. India administered more than 31.79 lakh COVID vaccine doses on Tuesday, taking the cumulative vaccination coverage to nearly 41.52 crores. Meanwhile, the Centre's statement on the lack of data on deaths due to oxygen shortage turned into a flashpoint between the BJP and the Congress. Shortage of oxygen became a huge issue during the second wave. As hospitals struggled to cope, deaths of patients were reported from parts of the country and the matter ended up in several courts. In Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the Centre said that it has received no data from the states regarding any death due to oxygen shortage.