Covaxin Phase I trials at PGIMS successful, 3 given second dose

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 1

Three of volunteers were administered the second dose of the indigenous Covid vaccine, Covaxin, at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) here on Friday.

So far, a total of 79 volunteers have successfully been administered the first dose of the vaccine at the hospital under the first phase of its human clinical trials.

Since no adverse effect of the vaccine on human health has been witnessed so far hence the doctors have initiated administering its second dose to the volunteers who got the first one 14 days ago.

“We have got encouraging results after administering the first dose to 79 volunteers under the first phase. All volunteers are being observed closely and none of them have so far complained of any adverse effect on their health,” said Dr Ramesh Verma, co-investigator and professor at the community medicine department at the PGIMS.

Dr Verma said Rohtak PGIMS was among the 12 institutes across the country and the only one in Haryana selected for conducting the human trials.

The trials will be conducted in two phases i.e. on 375 volunteers in the first and 750 in the second, across the nation. After vaccination, another test would be conducted on the volunteers to find out the level of antibodies, he added.

“The second phase of the trials is likely to start in the first week of September,” Dr Verma added.

Phase II likely from Sept first week

• The trials will be conducted in two phases i.e. on 375 volunteers in the first and 750 in the second, across the nation
• The second phase of the trials is likely to start in the first week of September