COVID-19 Vaccine Updates: Sputnik V In India Soon, AstraZeneca Overcomes Trial Hurdle, Indonesia Prefers Own Candidate Over China's Sinovac, Iran To Start Human Trials Of Its Indigenously Developed Vaccine & More

The world is moving closer towards a mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for public usage. Leading candidates are making significant gains over the past few days towards developing the "silver bullet". In a major relief, the vaccine developer that has drawn the most infection Oxford-AstraZeneca - has received the green nod for trial resumption in all countries where the tests were underway barring the United States. AstraZeneca trials, that were halted last week after one of the participants in the UK fell ill, has been resumed in India, England, Brazil and South Africa. India, where some of the top vaccine manufacturing & distribution companies are based, has been reached out to by American drugmaker Novavax and Russian sovereign wealth fund institute for the production and commercial sale of their vaccines in the nation. The Moscow-based Gamelia Institute will sell 100 million doses Sputnik V vaccine to India's Dr Reddy Laboratories. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported a positive outcome of phase 3 trials of China's Sinopharm vaccine. Indonesia, another country, which is relying on China's Sinovac vaccine candidate, has decided to focus on its indigenous vaccine which is in the early trials phase. Iran, one of the countries severely battered by the pandemic, announced that it would soon be starting the human trials of its indigenously developed vaccine. New Zealand, meanwhile, has announced a $10 million funding to Malaghan Institute of Medical Research - which is leading the vaccine development programme in the nation.