Indians Will Get A Shot Of COVID Vaccine, As Covishield Trials Near Completion

UPDATE

Serum Institute of India (SSI) has issued a clarification, denying reports that the shot may be launched in 73 days as ¡°completely false and conjectural¡±. Serum¡¯s clarification said that the government has granted it permission to only manufacture Covishield and stockpile it for future use. It has also said that Covishield will be commercialised once trials are proven successful and requisite regulatory approvals are in place.

India is all set to get its first coronavirus vaccine. The Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate - Covishield - is completing its trials soon and will be commercialised in 73 days, a top official at Serum India told India Today.

Serum Institute of India is handling phase 3 of the trials. The vaccine is developed by Oxford University and is likely to move to production to India.

A Business Today report quoted a Serum Institute of India (SII) top official saying that the government has given the biotechnology company "a 'special manufacturing priority license' and fast-tracked the trial protocol processes to get the trials completed in 58 days."

Serum Institute/ AP

"By this, the first dosing will take place today [Saturday] in the final phase [Phase III] and the second dosing will happen after 29 days. The final trial report will be out in another 15 days from the second dosing. By that time, we are planning to commercialise Covishield," the official added.

The phase 3 trials began August 22 at 20 centres across the country. The vaccine will be administered to 1,600 people in this phase.

The report added that the Indian government has sought 68 crore doses for 130 crore Indians, from Serum Institute by June next year.

The ICMR-Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' and Zydus Cadila's 'ZyCoV-D' are also in the race.