Moderna

Pharmaceutical firms and labs across the world are in a frantic race to find a vaccine to counter Covid-19. For all the urgency, the big question is will the rich countries get it first and leave the rest at the back of the queue?

Though the ICMR is aiming for an August 15 deadline, it is a moot question whether a timeline can be issued when different phases and trials have to be done to ensure safety.

Some 10 vaccines are in the human trial phase with more than 100 currently under development. But so far, there is no way to predict which, if any, vaccine will work safely or is even a front-runner