Hyderabad: Volunteers Line Up For Human Trials Of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine 'Covishield'

Across the globe, the human trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 are underway. They are also being conducted in India, and are led by the Serum Institute.

According to a Times of India report, the vaccine is now ready for human trials in Hyderabad, Telangana.

The enrolment process of the volunteers has begun at the King George Hospital.

Also read: COVID-19 Vaccine Unlikely Before September 2021, Say Experts

Twitter

The trials are being conducted by SII across 17 sites in India. Phase 3 trials of the vaccine will require at least a hundred participants and will go on for six months.

¡°We enrolled 10 volunteers on Friday. We have taken their blood samples and both RT-PCR and antibody test would be done. As per rule, volunteers should be above 18 years of age and should not have been infected by the virus, nor should there be the development of antibodies in the blood. Only then can they qualify for a human clinical trial,¡± said KGH superintendent Dr P V Sudhakar, who is also the Covid-19 special officer for north-coastal AP.

Also read: Clinical Trials Of A Second Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Have Proved Successful: Report

AFP

The clinical trial of Oxford vaccine has not shown any disadvantageous side-effects on volunteers in India so far. ¡°Recruited volunteers would be given the first shot on day one and another shot on the 29th day,¡± he added.

The phase 2 trials of the vaccine were conducted at a few sites, namely PGI Chandigarh, and KEM Hospital, Mumbai.

Also read: Half A Million Sharks 'Could Be Killed' For COVID Vaccine India

AFP

Earlier, the state government had not given permission to Covaxin, a vaccine candidate against COVID-19 developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech to conducted clinical trials at the hospital.