ICMR bats for Oxford vaccine

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday said that a candidate vaccine called ChAdOX1 a" being developed by researchers at University of Oxford -- is the frontrunner in the race to take on the deadly COVID-19 virus which has infected over 23 lakh people globally, killing over 1.60 lakh people.

Speaking at a daily media briefing in the Capital, Dr Raman Gangakhedkar who is the chief scientist of ICMR said that at least 70 groups of scientists across the world have been working towards a novel coronavirus vaccine and five groups have come into human trial phase -- with ChAdOx1 leading the race.

On Friday, scientists at the University of Oxford promised a super-fast vaccine during a virtual press conference, saying it would be available by September.

According to lead researcher Professor Sarah Gilbert, their ChAdOx1 vaccine can work against the virus called SARS-CoV-2.