Bhubaneswar: The human clinical trial of indigenously developed ‘Covaxin’, a possible vaccine against the novel coronavirus, began at an institute here Monday, a senior government official said. The ‘Covaxin’ vaccine is being talked about as a possible cure for coronavirus patients.
The much-awaited trial of ‘BBV152’ COVID-19 vaccine or ‘Covaxin’ commenced at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, one of the 12 centres selected by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting phase one and two of the process, the official at the facility said.
‘Covaxin’, is being developed by Bharat Biotech. The vaccine was administered to several selected persons. They had volunteered to be part of the crucial trial, Dr E Venkat Rao, principal investigator of the trial process, said. The volunteers had undergone a rigorous screening procedure, he informed.
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Dr Rao stated that the volunteers were administered the vaccine strictly in accordance with the protocols laid down by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Earlier the Odisha government had initiated the plasma therapy method of treatment on critical COVID-19 patients. Plasma therapy is proving to be quite successful in Odisha with a number of patients recovering due to it. Now it remains to be seen what is in store for the ‘Covaxin’ vaccine.