Phase II human trial of COVID-19 vaccine in Odisha hospital soon

Bhubaneswar: The second phase of human clinical trial of Covaxin, country’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine will be conducted at a private-run hospital in Bhubaneswar soon.

The phase I trial is still continuing and the preparations are underway for commencement of the second phase of human trial of Covaxin. The trial will begin shortly, said Dr E Venkata Rao, Principal Investigator of the trial at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital.

The IMS and SUM Hospital is one of the 12 medical centres in the country selected by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting the human trial of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

“The blood samples have been collected on different days from the volunteers who have been vaccinated in first phase of human trial to determine whether they have developed antibodies against novel coronavirus,” Dr Rao said.

With success of the second phase trial, the vaccine will be a big weapon in battle against COVID-19 in the country.