How monkeys were tracked for Covaxin trial

In "Going Viral: Making of Covaxin - The Inside Story", Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr. Balram Bhargava talks about the journey of India's homegrown vaccine.

Twenty Rhesus macaque monkeys, used during trials of Covaxin, were found near Nagpur after they had moved deep inside the forests of Maharashtra losing their usual urban food sources because of the Covid lockdown in 2020, says a new book.

The book also touches upon the intricacies of science and challenges faced by Indian scientists during the fight against COVID-19, from the development of a robust laboratory network, diagnosis, treatment and serosurveys to new technologies and vaccines.

Dr. Bhargava says that it is important to remember that the heroes of Covaxin's success story are not just human ones as 20 monkeys are "partly responsible for the fact that millions of us now have access to a life-saving vaccine".