Human trials of India’s first potential vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 began in Uttar Pradesh on the 31st of July.
After Telangana’s Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh’s Rana Hospital and Trauma Centre also started the trials.
The clinical human trials were also conducted at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar, at Post Graduate Indian Medical Science (PGIMS) Rohtak and other Institutes. Other places where trials have begun are Goa, Kancheepuram and AIIMS Patna.
The ICMR approved 12 medical Institutes and hospitals across India to conduct clinical trials for the potential vaccine, COVAXIN.
Hospitals started trial in July and are still conducting the trials.
Volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 with no comorbidity conditions are eligible to participate in the first phase of trial.
Speaking about the process, there are three formulations of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Each subject will be given any one of the formulations in two doses two weeks apart.
Dr Sanjay Rai, professor at the centre for community medicine at AIIMS, said a first set of volunteers would be given the lowest strength dose of the vaccine. If it is found to be safe in them, another set of patients would get high doses.
At least 375 people will participate in the first phases of the clinical human trial of India’s first COVID-19 vaccine. More 3,500 volunteers have already enrolled for the trial.
COVAXIN, the potential candidate vaccine was made by a Hyderabad based pharma company, Bharat Biotech Limited with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR.)
In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 9 volunteers participated in human trials for the COVID-19 potential vaccine.
Venketesh Chaturvedi, chief administrative officer of Uttar Pradesh, said, “The trials began under the supervision of physician Dr. Ajit Pratap Singh and gynecologist and obstetrician Dr. Sona Ghosh.” He further added, “All of them are absolutely fine.”
The COVAXIN trials would be conducted in two phases for humans. If the trials are conducted with a positive reaction and approved the ICMR it could be a cure for the deadly virus.
Broke out in 2019 December, the Novel Coronavirus killed approximately 6 million people and infected as many as 16 million people globally.
Stay tuned for further updates.
