Volunteers to receive next Covaxin shot in a few weeks

The team of doctors and scientists headed by Dr Sathyajit Mohapatra at SRM Medical College and Hospital is conducting the trials. Dr Sathyajit Mohapatra, principal investigator and Dr Melvin George, associate professor, Clinical Pharmacology at SRM Medical College and Hospital, said that the first dose of the vaccine was administered on 30 healthy participants between the age group of 18-55 years, as part of Phase-I trial. The Phase-I trial was aimed at testing the safety and ensuring that the vaccine has no side-effects.

So far, the participants who have received the vaccine are doing well and would be given one more shot after a couple of weeks. The result of the phase I trial is likely to be available after clinical evaluation within a month.

The hospital has also accorded permission for Phase-II trials and the trials are likely to begin from next week. The experts have invited volunteers for the next phase wherein healthy persons between the age of 12-65 years will be administered with two shots of the vaccine.

“100 volunteers are needed for phase II trials. They would be checked for their general health status and screened for COVID-19 before being taken in,” said Dr Melvin George. The candidates will be followed up over nine timelines during which the efficacy of the vaccine to produce antibodies in the serum will be checked.