Health Minister of Haryana, Anil Vij was administered a trial dose of Covaxin, an under trial vaccine for COVID-19, at a hospital in Ambala, on November 20, the day the third phase trial of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin began in Haryana.
Haryana health minister Anil Vij volunteers to be vaccinated first
A day before the Phase-3 of clinical trials of ‘Covaxin’ the Covid-19 vaccine being prepared by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech International Limited was to begin, the BJP minister volunteered to get vaccinated as the first volunteer. He was administered the trial dose at the Civil Hospital at Ambala Cantt.
Sharing the information on Twitter, Vij said that the third phase trials for the vaccine will begin in Haryana on November 20.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin enters phase 3 trials
Bharat Biotech which is developing Covaxin in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had on November 16 (Monday) announced the commencement of Phase III trials of Covaxin, involving 26,000 volunteers across 25 centres in India. The trials are being conducted in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is the largest clinical trial conducted for a COVID-19 vaccine in India. The trial has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Several countries including the USA, the UK, Russia and China are running trials to roll-out a vaccine for the deadly Wuhan virus that has claimed millions of lives world over and still continues to do so. Vaccines usually take years to be prepared but in view of the havoc caused by Covid-19 pharmaceutical companies are hurrying the process as much as possible.
