GOING VIRAL MAKING OF COVAXIN: THE INSIDE STORY

Category Non-Fiction
Format Paperback
Imprint Rupa
Price 295

ISBN: 978-93-5520-022-8
Pages: 240 pages
Date: 10th November 2021

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Going Viral records the encouraging story of tackling the pandemic in India and the efforts of all who have worked tirelessly to keep us safe.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous suffering across the globe. All countries irrespective of their economic, social and health infrastructure or cultural status plunged into unimaginable devastation. India also went through its share of despair and agony. As a nation, we fought this pandemic bravely with the all-round support of the government, scientific agencies and the public and came up with customized solutions to save the nation. The biggest among them was the development of an indigenous vaccine in record time.
Going Viral is an honest attempt to take readers through the journey of India’s homegrown vaccine as seen through the eyes of Dr Balram Bhargava, a medical scientist and the director general of India’s apex medical research organization, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Starting with the report of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness from Wuhan to the detection of the first case, Bhargava shares his own experience while fighting the health crisis of the century. From the development of a robust laboratory network, diagnosis, treatment and serosurveys to new technologies and vaccines, the book touches upon the intricacies of science and challenges faced by our scientists during the fight against COVID-19.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Professor Balram Bhargava is presently the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and continues to be professor of cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He graduated in medicine (MBBS), followed by MD and DM, with specialization in cardiology from King George’s Medical University, Lucknow. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASc), the Indian National Science Academy (FNA), the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc) and the National Academy of Medical Sciences India (FAMS).
He has published many research papers in national and international journals. He has been awarded the S.N. Bose Centenary award by the Indian National Science Congress, the National Academy of Sciences Platinum Jubilee Award, the Tata Innovation Fellowship, the Ranbaxy Award, the O.P. Bhasin Award, the Vasvik Award for Biomedical Technology Innovation and, more recently, the UNESCO Equatorial Guinea International Prize for research in Life Sciences at Paris. He has also received the Dr Lee Jong-Wook Memorial Prize for Public Health, 2019 by the WHO, Geneva. Last year, he received the President’s Gold Medal from the Royal College of Physicians, Glasgow. He has been awarded the ‘Padma Shri’ high civilian award by the Honourable President of India.