India’s Indigenous Anti-Corona Vaccine “COVAXIN” Found Safe In Phase-1 Trials

India’s indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine “Covaxin” has made swift progress in the recently concluded Phase-1 trials at a hospital in Odisha.

Dr E Venkata Rao, Principal Investigator of the trial at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, was emphatic , “The Phase I of the trial is still continuing as we are planning for the start of the Phase II trial shortly”. The blood samples collected from the volunteers for the Phase-1 trials were meant to be studied for the vaccine’s effectiveness in terms of the level of antibodies developed, Dr Rao said to the press adding that there were ‘no side-effects’ detected on administering of the vaccine.

The IMS and SUM Hospital is one of the 12 selected medical centers in India by the ICMR for conducting the human trial of the vaccine developed by the Bharat Biotech , Hyderabad-based biotechnology company.

Dr. Rao also said ,”Two doses of the vaccine were administered to each volunteer after they were selected through a screening process conducted over a period of three to seven days prior to vaccination. The first dose was administered on Day Zero while the blood sample was collected. The second dose was given on Day 14 and the blood sample was also collected.”

There are different period of days assigned for the collection of the blood samples (28, 42, 104, 194 day) for estimating the span of protection provided by the vaccine.

There are over 7 anti-Covid19 vaccines under preparation in the country and in various stages where 2 of them have got the regulators go ahead.

As per the Union Health Minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan , the disease will be brought under control by Diwali in India.