Going Viral: The making of COVAXIN | Dr. Balram Bhargava | TEDxDFBEDU

Summary

The script recounts India's swift and strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning with the first case detected in January 2020. It details the government's immediate actions, the challenges faced in securing testing kits, and the innovation in indigenous vaccine development, including the historic 'Covaxin'. The narrative highlights India's transformation into a vaccine superpower, supplying vaccines globally, and the utilization of technology for vaccine delivery, showcasing India's resilience and scientific prowess during the crisis.

Takeaways

• 🗓️ The first COVID-19 case in India was reported on January 26, 2020, involving a young medical student who traveled extensively before showing symptoms.
• 🛡️ The Indian government acted swiftly, setting up groups of secretaries and ministers to address various aspects of the pandemic, including PPE, testing kits, oxygen, drugs, and vaccines.
• 🧪 India faced initial challenges with limited testing kits and had to rely on international sources, but by March-April 2020, the country became self-sufficient in diagnostic kits thanks to local startups.
• 🌐 India was the fifth country to isolate the virus and the first to isolate the Alpha variant, showcasing its scientific capabilities.
• 🔬 Over 900 million samples were tested in India, and the country pioneered the use of portable molecular testing and rapid antigen tests, contributing to its comprehensive testing strategy.
• 🏥 The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) played a central role in the pandemic response, with its BSL-4 laboratory serving as a key facility in Southeast Asia.
• 🌍 India's experience with evacuating citizens from Iran and setting up testing laboratories abroad demonstrated its global reach and crisis management capabilities.
• 💉 India's vaccination strategy leveraged its extensive immunization infrastructure, with 27 million newborn vaccinations annually, and repurposed existing health infrastructure for COVID-19 vaccination.
• 🛫 Innovative measures such as mobile BSL-3 laboratories and drone technology for vaccine delivery were employed to reach remote areas, showcasing India's adaptability and technological prowess.
• 🌟 India emerged as a 'vaccine superpower,' developing an indigenous vaccine (Covaxin) and supplying vaccines to over 100 countries, highlighting its pharmaceutical industry's strength.
• 🔄 The pandemic response involved a 'whole-of-government' approach, with multiple ministries and agencies working in unison to combat the virus and support public health.

Q & A

When was the first COVID-19 case detected in India according to the script?

The first COVID-19 case in India was detected on the 26th of January 2020.

What actions did the Indian government take in response to the first COVID-19 case?

The Indian government was swift in its action, setting up a group of secretaries and ministers who met daily to address various aspects of the pandemic, including PPEs, testing kits, oxygen, drugs, and vaccines.

How did India become self-sufficient in diagnostic kits?

India became self-sufficient in diagnostic kits by having young entrepreneurs set up startups to manufacture testing kits, especially after facing a shortage and a prompt from China to secure them within two hours.

What was the significance of the 15 Italian tourists in India's fight against COVID-19?

The 15 Italian tourists who fell sick with COVID-19 in India allowed the country to collect samples and isolate the virus, which was crucial for developing testing kits, antibody kits, vaccines, and drugs.

What innovative testing methods did India adopt during the pandemic?

India adopted portable molecular testing developed by a young scientist, which was originally designed for testing tuberculosis, and rapid antigen tests, making it the second country after Korea to use them.

What was the importance of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the Indian government?

The nationwide lockdown gave India time to develop its healthcare facilities and flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections, preventing a sudden and massive exposure to the virus.

How did India contribute to the global fight against COVID-19 through vaccine development?

India developed an indigenous vaccine named COVAXIN in partnership with Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research, demonstrating its capability to develop a vaccine from start to finish.

What challenges did India face during the pre-clinical studies of the COVAXIN vaccine?

India faced challenges such as capturing monkeys for testing due to lockdown restrictions and opposition from animal activists, as well as obtaining permission for testing on monkeys, which had been halted for many years.

How did India demonstrate its pharmaceutical strength during the COVID-19 pandemic?

India demonstrated its pharmaceutical strength by manufacturing and supplying its own indigenous vaccine, COVAXIN, to more than 100 countries, establishing itself as a vaccine superpower.

What unique methods did India use for vaccine delivery to remote areas?

India used drones for vaccine delivery to remote areas for the first time in Southeast Asia, showcasing its ability to reach even the most isolated populations with the vaccine.

What role did the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) play during the pandemic?

The ICMR played a central role as the epicenter for fighting COVID-19, coordinating with various ministries, conducting research, and facilitating the development and testing of the COVAXIN vaccine.

Outlines

00:00

😷 First COVID-19 Case in India and Swift Government Response

The first case of COVID-19 in India was identified on January 26, 2020, in a young medical student who had traveled extensively. The Indian government responded rapidly by setting up a task force and taking daily measures to address various aspects of the pandemic, including PPE, testing kits, oxygen, drugs, and vaccines. The narrative describes the initial struggle with limited testing kits, the race to secure them, and the innovative efforts by young entrepreneurs to manufacture them domestically. India's proactive approach to isolating the virus, developing testing kits, and implementing nationwide lockdowns is highlighted.

05:01

🛠️ India's Self-Sufficiency in Diagnostic Kits and Viral Isolation

India's journey to self-sufficiency in diagnostic kits is detailed, starting from the isolation of the virus without international assistance to the repurposing of a tuberculosis testing kit for COVID-19. The country's innovative approach to rapid antigen testing and the use of technology for molecular testing is discussed. The narrative also covers the strategic lockdown phases, the establishment of the Indian Council of Medical Research as a central hub for pandemic response, and the evacuation and quarantine measures for Indian citizens abroad.

10:03

💉 Development of India's Indigenous COVID-19 Vaccine

This section delves into the development of India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, in partnership with Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. The process involved the isolation of the virus from Italian tourists, the rapid development of a vaccine candidate, and the unique challenges of conducting pre-clinical trials on monkeys during a lockdown. The successful vaccine development not only demonstrated India's scientific prowess but also positioned the country as a vaccine superpower.

15:04

🌍 India's Role as a Global Vaccine Supplier

The narrative shifts to India's transformation from a recipient of a single box of penicillin in 1947 to a global vaccine supplier in 2021. It outlines the country's massive vaccine manufacturing capabilities, the establishment of a national task force for COVID-19, and the extensive immunization infrastructure that enabled rapid vaccine distribution. The story also touches on India's contribution to global health through the supply of generic drugs and its leadership in vaccine development and distribution.

20:06

🚁 Innovative Vaccine Delivery and India's Pharmaceutical Legacy

The final paragraph highlights India's innovative approaches to vaccine delivery, such as the use of drones to reach remote areas and the repurposing of existing healthcare infrastructure for COVID-19 vaccination. It emphasizes the country's historical evolution from importing antibiotics to exporting vaccines globally, showcasing India's growth as a pharmaceutical powerhouse and its commitment to public health both domestically and internationally.

Keywords

💡COVID-19

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which emerged in late 2019 and led to a global pandemic. In the video script, it is central to the narrative as the speaker discusses India's response to the virus, including detection, testing, and the development of vaccines.

💡Isolation

Isolation refers to the process of separating individuals or substances to prevent the spread of infection or to study them in a controlled environment. The script mentions the isolation of the virus as a critical step in understanding and combating COVID-19, as well as the isolation of patients to prevent further transmission.

💡Testing kits

Testing kits are tools used to diagnose COVID-19 by detecting the presence of the virus in samples taken from individuals. The script discusses the initial shortage of testing kits and India's subsequent efforts to become self-sufficient in manufacturing them, highlighting the nation's response to the pandemic.

💡Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. The script details the development of India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, emphasizing the scientific and logistical challenges overcome in its creation and distribution.

💡Lockdown

A lockdown is a public health measure that restricts movement and social interaction to control the spread of a disease. The script describes the nationwide lockdown imposed in India to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, illustrating the government's strategy to flatten the curve.

💡National Institute of Biology

The National Institute of Biology, while not explicitly named in the script, represents the type of scientific institution involved in the confirmation and study of COVID-19 cases. The script mentions the role of such institutes in reconfirming positive cases and contributing to the understanding of the virus.

💡ICMR

ICMR stands for the Indian Council of Medical Research, a prominent body in India for the conduct of medical research. The script highlights ICMR's pivotal role in the pandemic response, including the development of testing kits, vaccines, and guidelines for the country.

💡Rapid Antigen Tests

Rapid Antigen Tests are a type of diagnostic test for COVID-19 that provides results quickly by detecting specific proteins on the surface of the virus. The script notes that India was the second country to use these tests, demonstrating the country's proactive approach to increasing testing capacity during the pandemic.

💡Convalescent Plasma

Convalescent Plasma is a treatment that involves using the plasma from individuals who have recovered from an illness to help those who are currently fighting the infection. The script mentions a randomized trial conducted in India that evaluated the effectiveness of this treatment for COVID-19.

💡BSL-4 Laboratory

BSL-4 stands for Biosafety Level 4, the highest level of biocontainment laboratory used for research on the most dangerous pathogens. The script refers to India's BSL-4 lab as a critical asset in the country's ability to isolate and study the COVID-19 virus, contributing to the development of vaccines and treatments.

💡Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry involves the research, development, and marketing of drugs and medicinal products. The script positions India as the 'pharmacy of the world,' highlighting its significant role in manufacturing and supplying vaccines and medicines globally, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

India detected its first COVID-19 case on January 26, 2020, in a young medical student who had traveled extensively.

The Indian government swiftly established groups of secretaries and ministers to address various aspects of the pandemic, including PPE, testing, oxygen, drugs, and vaccines.

India faced challenges in obtaining limited testing kits and had to rely on domestic startups to manufacture them.

India became self-sufficient in diagnostic kits by March or April 2020, thanks to the efforts of young entrepreneurs.

India was the fifth country to isolate the virus and the first to isolate the Alpha variant.

Over 900 million samples were tested in India, showcasing the country's capacity in handling large-scale testing.

India pioneered the use of portable molecular testing kits, originally developed for tuberculosis, for COVID-19 testing.

India was the second country to use rapid antigen tests, following South Korea, during the first wave in June 2020.

A nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 24, 2020, based on scientific advice, to prevent a massive outbreak.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) played a central role in the pandemic response, utilizing its BSL-4 laboratory.

During the lockdown, India conducted a 24/7 mission to deliver consumables, testing kits, and PPEs to remote areas via helicopters, railways, and air force.

India evacuated its citizens from Iran and set up a testing laboratory in the Indian Embassy in Iran to ensure safe repatriation.

India demonstrated three major medical advances during the pandemic: the use of cortisone and steroids, remdesivir, and convalescent plasma.

India conducted serosurveillance studies to assess the spread of COVID-19, finding that only 7% of the population was positive in May-June 2020.

Covaxin, India's indigenous vaccine, was developed in partnership between Bharat Biotech and ICMR, marking a significant achievement in vaccine development.

India's vaccine development involved innovative steps, such as capturing monkeys for pre-clinical studies and overcoming challenges from animal activists.

India supplied COVID-19 vaccines to over 100 countries, establishing itself as a vaccine superpower.

India's Universal Immunization Program and robust healthcare infrastructure enabled rapid vaccination of a large population.

India demonstrated innovative vaccine delivery methods, including the use of drones to reach remote areas.

Transcripts

26th of January 20120 we had the first

case a young girl medical student who

flew from Wuhan to Hong Kong Hong Kong

to Kolkata Kolkata to Bangalore

Bangalore to coin and then to her

hometown and she had fever we detected

that and found that it was Co positive

we took another 24 hours we took the

sample to the National Institute of

biology in Puna tested it again and then

it was confirmed and declared to the

government of India that the virus had

entered our Shores the government was

quite Swift in their action and uh they

immediately U set up um group of

secretaries group of ministers and they

were meeting every day uh they were very

serious whether it was for ppes whether

it is for testing kids whether it was

for oxygen whether it was for drugs

whether it was for vaccines we were on a

war and this war started on the 26 27 of

January

2020 at that point in time there were

deaths occurring in the United Kingdom

deaths occurring in Italy people were

dying in Iran Spain uh all the Elderly

Homes were shut because people were

dying we had to fight with this we had

very limited testing kits when we wanted

don't ask the who for those testing kids

they said we have only limited One China

was manufacturing the kids we asked them

for kids they said buy them within the

next 2 hours otherwise we'll divert them

to some other

country then some of the youngsters like

yourselves came forward and set up

startups to manufacture those kids by

the

um by the march of 2020 March or April

India had become self-sufficient in

diagnostic

kids during February and March we were

able to isolate the virus we asked

several International agencies for the

virus but they were unable to provide us

with the virus so we had 15 Italian

tourists who were touring India from

Rajasthan to Agra and they fell sick

with Co they were able to collect those

their samples and isolate the virus once

isolated the virus that opened up a new

chapter whether we want to make testing

kits whether we want to make antibody

kits whether we want to make vaccine or

we want to make drugs so so we were the

fifth country in the world to isolate

the virus and we were the first country

in the world to isolate the alpha virus

and also the other other other virus I

don't think this is very

clear yeah so we tested more than 900

million samples we were the first

country in the world to uh start testing

my um portable molecular testing again

developed by a young scientist they were

had developed a kit for testing

tuberculosis in 2017 2018 called trat we

repurposed it for for testing covid-19

and by April we had many of those

tuberculosis machines across the country

and we were able to utilize that for

testing the second thing that we did was

we were the second country after Korea

to use the rapid antigen tests during

the first wave of June of 2020 in Delhi

we deployed the rapid antigen kit and

that again manufactured by Young

startups and our country was

self-sufficient and by June we were

exporting to many parts of then on 10th

of May we had a meeting with the the the

cabinet secretary and eent Dr what do

you feel can be done can you write on it

and give it to me I wrote on a simple

piece of paper two lines stop all

international

travel number

two impose a nationwide

lockdown he said you have tremendous

Clarity of thought in your mind I said

yes that is the way we can prevent this

pandemic from exposing us in a huge big

way we will get time to develop our

healthare facilities as we are able to

rather than getting the C like this we

can flatten the cve and prolong it and

therefore we will take more time he says

okay you have to make a presentation to

the leadership on 18th of March 18th of

March we made a presentation to the

leadership and he was of the opinion

that only science can lead this war

against covid-19 and I would go by sence

and the next day he declared the janta

curfew and that we had the national

lockdown during the national lockdown

what happened that because the Indian

Council of medical research

had the BSL for laboratory it was the

first laboratory of its kind in

Southeast Asia the Wuhan lab that was

set up in 2011 this Indian lab the Wuhan

lab was set up in 2017 that was the

second BSL for laboratory in in

Southeast Asia so because of that the

icmr became the epicenter and the

headquarters in Delhi became kind of a

war home for fighting covid-19 we had

the ministry of Defense we have the

ministry of civiliziation we have the

ministry of railways postal Affairs

research analysis R all were centered

and we used to work from 6:00 a.m. to

12: p.m. at night just captive in that

headquarters at near all India Institute

if you have ever seen that building of

the icmr so that's why we were working

day in day out and we had four phases of

the lockdown of 9 weeks and during that

lockdown we had 24/7 mission for

carrying consumables testing kids p gets

all by helicopters Railways as well as

air force during the lockdown we were

able to take those to different remote

areas of the the country this was like a

war that was

happening then during February of 2020

we had some pilgrims of ours who were

visiting Iran and at that time Iran was

burning so we had to evacuate them

immediately but how to evacuate them

before testing them so we had set up a

testing laboratory in Iran but Iran had

short of testing kits so we couldn't set

it up in the city so we set it up in the

basement of the Indian Embassy in Iran

and we tested those people and then they

were all flown back by Iran Airlines and

Indian Air Force to quarantine Center

and these quarantine centers were

created like on a war footing they were

created in J jpur hinden Air Force Base

and this is February month when it was

cold land kids food water everything was

aranged this was during the lock lock

that was all arranged for them by the

government of India Indian Air Force

itbp and it was a whole of government

approach to to fight this so this was

when we had to set up a lab for our and

this is also played out well in the

movie and you will see that uh once you

are able to find time to see the movie

vaccine more and that's G then before

the vaccine development there were no

Treatment available for this Co except

that there were

three major advances that were made in

the world one was a randomized trial

done in the United Kingdom which said

that Cortisone and steroids are

working that clearly demonstrated the

steroids reduce mortality and reduce the

stap the second was remes and I think

all of you know about remes and that was

a wh trial which demonstr that REM is

working against the third contribution

was by India which we clearly

demonstrated that convalescent plasma

convalescent plasma by a randomized

trial which was done during the lockdown

all Video Control District Hospital we

collected patients one was given plasma

one was not given and demonstrated that

thearon plasma is not working so before

the vaccine these were the three main

major discoveries one by United Kingdom

one by The Who and one by India that

this is this is uh this is the

pharmacological treatment for

covid-19 then what happened was

that this article of ours was published

in the British American Journal they

wrote two editorials and talking about

how Indian science and how India has

democratized research for

covid-19 once we had the virus we were

able to test uh the antibodies and we

were able to do the seros survey in

different parts of the country

demonstrating how much of covid has

spread during the month of May June 2020

only

7% was positive for covid that means

[Music]

99.3% of our population was vulnerable

for

covid-19 that was a bit worrisome and we

had to maintain that lockdown during

April and May and scale up our healthare

facilities we had to set up facilities

for testing kids facilities for PP kits

manufacturing for masks Bank shift

hospitals U Air Force spaces quarantine

centers as well as manufacturing for

vaccines which I come to now as was

mentioned kacin was the first indigenous

vaccine which partnership between bhat

biotech and the Indian Council of

medical research which was based on

trust primary lens and transparency

every morning we had a video conference

with part biotech we gave them the virus

on the 30th of March we had isolated the

virus on 9th of March again from those

15 Italian tourists we gave that virus

to car biot they gave us a vaccine

candidate by the 30th of April in the

month of May we tested it on rats we

tested it on hamsters and demonstrated

that this vaccine is uh is working to

Safe immune andage then we had to do

what is known as pre-clinical studies or

studies on monkeys now our country has

stopped testing monkeys for many many

years because of large number of animal

activist so how do we get so immediately

we got within 48 hours we got permission

from the government to capture these

monkeys now how to capture these monkeys

there is a lock down all the monkeys are

not getting food in the city they have

run into the forest so we sent a team

which took them about 2 weeks to capture

monkeys on Telangana border near

karnatak border and then they were able

to capture about 20 monkeys and take

them to the BSL for laboratory in

paa this is state-of-the-art laboratory

where we have all the viruses kept as a

depository you can't enter the

laboratory it's electric fencing and and

that was as I mentioned the first

laboratory in Southeast Asia set

up now these

monkeys were how to they were given the

vaccine candidate and then these monkeys

were given the challenge of the virus

now we needed a pulmonologist to give

them the virus do broncoscopy and take

give the virus into the second

generation of the Broncos in the

L pulmonologist were flown by a special

F from De who was at icmr and the CTC in

Puna the Army Center they also had a

palmist they were in captive in the icmr

and IV guest house for one month till

the monkey experiments were big time

they were staying there and they gave

the virus in anesthe monkeys in U

vaccinated and then we collected samples

from these monkeys every day from the

Brony whether the virus has grown and at

14 days we found that the virus has not

grown and the vaccine has worked so this

monkey business was successfully

accomplished and we found that and we

could go to humans with this vaccine now

more interesting part I received several

letters from animal activists that I

have been told that Dr B we going to

capture

and that is against I I already captured

so

Ash I said I'm not going to capture

anymore cuz I had already captured those

so that was the story and and and then

they came to know that the experiment

was successful we had sent the paper for

publication to an international Journal

they wrote to the journal that these

monkeys are from India working against

India they wrote to the journal that

these monkeys were not from a breeding

facility they were captured from the

wild so we had to submit the health

certificate of each and every monkey the

X-ray their blood reports all that that

they were healthy monkeys and they did

not have the disease from before so so

that after that the journal published

the article and and and one story about

monkeys I want to tell

you even the co Shield vaccine the

monkey studies were done for monkeys

from ch

in the United

Kingdom so all the monkeys are being

exported from China during the

prepandemic they were $2,000 per

annal during the pandemic it was

impossible to get the monkeys and today

each monkey sells at

$20,000 so that was how we were able to

test it and monkeys are still being used

for testing and now with the icmr we

have set up two facilities is four

monkey breeding one in Hyderabad and one

in SAS nagar near Bombay and we can

supply enough monkeys to many parts of

the world and so we all see a normal

person would say just capture it is

outside no these are breeding facility

monkeys which are their health is

ensured and we able to so these are two

big facilities that we created during

the pandemic for these countes so India

is known to be the pharmacy of the

world but with this this coine we

demonstrated to the world that we can

develop an indigenous vaccine from start

to end and this was a game changer that

coine proved that you could manufacture

vaccines from start to from uh if you

know that 60% of the generic drugs in

the world are supplied from

India so India is known as the vaccine

is the pharmacy of the world but now it

is also established that we are a

vaccine superpower we manufactured our

own indigenous vaccine we supplied

vaccine because of the largest

manufacturing facility in the world in

Pune we supplied vaccines to more than

100 countries across the world so that

is uh this little story I want to show

because this shows that in

1947 we have

the First Health minister of India

rajkumari Amit K receiving a box from

The High Commissioner of Canada at

Bombay port and what is this box this

box is after the second World War when

penisin was invented they gave us

penisin one box of pen was given to

India and we were able to set up our own

antibiotic Laboratories inan anti iotics

and other government antibiotic agencies

were able to supply antibiotics now to

the entire world so this was in 1947

when we caught it from Canada and 2021

we supplied the vaccine to more than 100

countries so that is how India has

changed industry so right from funding

to preclinical studies two clinical

studies two laboratory studies two

epidemiology studies two rolling

reviewed by the drug controller two

Advanced purchase order to address

manufacturing raw material import and to

experti impact testing the government

and the play timely role to develop the

vaccine for us we also set up a national

task force which was notified to the

Supreme Court on the 18th of March

advising the government on who has to be

tested what has to drug has to be used

what are the guidelines what direction

have the country to take had about 45

advisers from different fields and we

were meeting every week uh discussing on

the scientific approach as a nation and

giving the national task force protocols

10 14

languages we know we had the largest uh

uh database where we had the more than

two I um

two

um 200 CR people who doses of vaccine

that have been given across the country

2 billion doses of vaccine and this was

because of our our Universal

immunization program which has been a

very successful program for the last 60

years we are also supplying 60% of the

vaccines to the United Nations and the

who for the world and for the developing

world so that is another advantage of

another thing that our country has

demonstrated to the world we had 27

million new newborn vaccinations done

every year

28,000 coal chain points 2.3 million

Asha workers activated social hectors

and

350,000 vaccination centers which were

repurposed for childhood vaccination for

the co vaccination and rapidly we could

vaccinate such a large population we

also developed a mobile bsl3 laboratory

the first of its kind in the world which

was set up on and transported from taken

from Delhi to Paro and demonstrated to

the southeast Asia region that this is

that can go to remote areas and can work

for isolating the virus we also used the

Drone for vaccine delivery again for the

first time in Southeast Asia and if you

look at this picture this is from the

Northeast one of the most beautiful part

of our country and uh we the first

vaccine delivery was done from Bish to

Kang now if you know that there is the

largest freshwater lake in Asia called

the lat Lake in Manipur in the middle of

that Lake there is an island and that

island is a population of about 3,000

people so the vaccine was if you travel

by Road from Mur it is 26 km then 3 km

by boat and then 2 km walking to deliver

that we delivered this in 15 minutes by

drone for the first time interesting

Point here these drones were tested at

IIT C which has an Air Force Base if you

can as an i students you can also get a

private pivate license if you're

interested in flying that was set up in

the ear 60s so infrastructure in the

country is there for many many years and

a lot of things are available they have

to be leveled and used at the correct

time so from land to land land to hill

hill to Valley Valley to uh to an island

we were able to demonstrate how they

vaccine anyway that's okay so this is a

small cartoon which one of our

scientists made the virus has gone to

one small island and says no I can be

safe here because the vaccines cannot

reach there and then you have the Drone

which is bringing the vaccine to that

island so I thank you for your attention

for attention is the rarest and the

purest form of generality thank you so

much