Encouraging results in first phase, 3 volunteers given second dose of Covid vaccine at Rohtak PGI

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 1

A total of 79 volunteers have so far been successfully administered the first dose of indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, at Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science here under the first phase of its human clinical trial. Three volunteers were given the vaccine of Friday.

The trial aims at ascertaining the vaccine’s efficacy in generating antibodies against coronavirus and any adverse effect on health.

As nothing harmful was witnessed, the doctors have also started giving the second dose--three were given on Friday--to those who got the first 14 days ago. Prior to that, they underwent a test to check the level of antibodies after the first dose, given on July 17.

“We have got encouraging results after administering the first dose to all 79 volunteers under the first phase. All are being observed closely and none of them has so far complained of any adverse effect on their health. Twenty volunteers were given first dose of the vaccine under part-1 and 59 in part-2 of the first phase,” said Dr Ramesh Verma, co-investigator and Professor at the Community Medicine Department.   

Dr Verma maintained that the Rohtak PGIMS was among 12 institutes across the country and the only one in Haryana selected for the human trials. The nationwide trials would be conducted in two phases--on 375 volunteers in the first phase and 750 in the second.

After vaccination, tests will be conducted on the volunteers to find out the level of antibodies. "The second phase of the trial is likely to start in the first week of September," he added.

Dr Savita Verma, trial principal investigator and Professor at the PGIMS Department of Pharmacology, said only healthy people in the age group of 18 to 55 years had been included. A written consent had been obtained from the volunteers, she said.