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Coronavirus impact | Global firms approach Indian IT firms for scenario planning: Report

Apr 13, 2020 02:00 PM IST

Though scenario planning is typically done by large consultancies, smaller Indian IT firms are being approached due to a demand created by the coronavirus outbreak.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, global companies have sought help from Indian software firms for scenario planning using simulation to prepare for the impact of the crisis, the Business Standard reported.

Scenario planning is evaluating trends and trying to understand how future scenarios might unfold in order to be prepared.

Manufacturers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and even public health care agencies have been approaching information technology (IT) companies. Cognizant and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) are working with pharmaceutical firms, the report said.

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COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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