BackRohtak med college is hoping 1,000 volunteers will come for Covaxin P-3 trial
In the third phase, even diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease patients can register as volunteersIf results are satisfactory then mass production of the coronavirus vaccine will start by February and March
PremiumAs the Phase-3 of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin trial starts on Friday, Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, is hopeful that at least 1,000 healthy individual will come forward to volunteer, Vice-Chancellor OP Kalra said on Wednesday.
Karla explained, "We are hoping to get 1,000 healthy volunteers by Thursday. Of them, 200 volunteers will be administered the Covaxin initially so that we get to know about their antibody response earlier."
"There are three centers in the country where antibody response are studied. If the response is good in 600 volunteers, then ICMR will take permission for market authentication so that mass production can be done," he added.
The lower age limit for volunteers is 18 years, while there is no upper age limit in this phase. "In the third phase, even diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease patients can register as volunteers," he said.
Trial volunteers will receive two intramuscular injections about 28 days apart. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive Covaxin or placebo.
He further said, "If it is found to be satisfactory, then by February and March we can have mass production of the vaccine. Its efficacy should be more than 90 per cent."
There were either no side effects or minimum side effects like pain in the area where the injection was applied or a slight fever in the first 2 phases, he explained.
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday offered himself to be the first volunteer for Covaxin's Phase-3 trial.
Bharat Biotech announced the commencement of phase-3 trials of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin on Monday. The phase-3 trials will be conducted in partnership with ICMR across the country.
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