Centre forms a high-level task force on coronavirus vaccine, drug testing

The task force would also form clinical cohorts, which would focus on long-term follow up of the disease and its management

The government has formed a high-level task force for vaccine and drug testing for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Sunday, as the death toll from the pandemic increased to 519 and the cases reached 16,116. 

The objective of the task force is to speed up national and international efforts towards vaccine development to treat Covid, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, health ministry, said.

The task force — co-chaired by Vinod Paul, member NITI Aayog, and Professor K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to the government — will also include representatives of Ayush ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), department of biotechnology, and drug