Health ministry sets up task force to work on vaccines, drug testing related to COVID-19

A high-level task force has been set up to work on frontiers of science related to vaccines and drug testing to fight coronavirus, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

Addressing a media briefing here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, health ministry, said NITI Aayog member and principal scientific advisor to the government will be co-chair of the task force.

"Besides AYUSH, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Science and Technology, Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), DG Health Services and Drug Controller will also be the members of the task force, he said.

The senior official asserted that the task force aims to enable and speed up the industry and international efforts being made to fight COVID-19.

"The objective of this task force is academia, and to enable and speed up industry and international efforts for COVID-19, he said.

"The Department of Biotechnology has ...