The Novel Coronavirus,a deadly family of viruses is a matter of concern for the world.
Every country, team of scientists and doctors are trying to come up with a vaccine for the infection.
The COVID-19 infection broke out in December 2019 and infected as many as 20 millions of people globally and 2.27 millions in India.
After months of studies and experiments, India and Russia, the two nations successfully completed the clinical trials of the potential vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus.
While Russia’s Health Ministry approved the vaccine by Russia, India is under the third stage of the clinical trials and would soon launch.
A Hyderabad based company named Bharat Biotech developed COVAXIN, India’s first vaccine candidate for COVID-19.
The cure was developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV.)
How the process began?
Speaking about the process, the SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated at NIV, Pune, and transferred to Bharat Biotech. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine has been developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 high containment facility in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.
The vaccine, COVAXIN could be India’s first vaccine for the Coronavirus if the human trials are successful.
The Drug Controller General of India, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approved the vaccine trials on humans.
About human trials of COVAXIN in India:
The human trials of the candidate vaccine began in July in a phased manner. As per the ICMR guidelines, the trials would be conducted in two phases.
The ICMR selected as many as 12 medical Institutes to conduct human trials with volunteers across India.
The human trials of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine for coronavirus COVAXIN, began at Rohtak’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences.
If approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) the vaccine could be launched as a cure for the deadly virus which broke out 8 months back, in December 2019.
ICMR approved Institutes for COVAXIN human trials:
Apart from Indian Medical Science (IMS) and SUM Hospital in Delhi, the other institutes selected for the clinical trial are located in Visakhapatnam, Rohtak, New Delhi, Patna, Belgaum (Karnataka), Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad, Arya Nagar, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Goa.
All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS,) in Delhi, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science (NIMS) of Hyderabad, Prakhar Hospital of Kanpur (Uttar PradeshPradesh,) Rana Hospital and Trauma Centre in Gorakhpur (U.P.,) AIIMS (Patna,) Gillurkar Multi Specialty Hospital (Nagpur,) Jeevan Rekha Hospital (Belgaum,) King George Hospital (Visakhapatnam,) Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science (PGIMS) in Rohtak, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Tamil Nadu) and Redkar Hospital in Goa.
The Institutes began the human trials from the first week of July.
Deadline set by ICMR:
The ICMR asked all the above mentioned 12 medical institutes to complete their trials soon
The Indian Council of Medical Research even wrote to 12 hospitals across 10 states, asking them to fast track clinical trials approvals for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
The pressure to complete the trials were made in order to launch the vaccine for public use by the 15th of August.
The Government of India is aiming to launch the COVID-19 infection vaccine on the 15th of August, Independence Day 2020.
Stay tuned for further updates.
