Covid-19 vaccine updates: Over 250 register for Covaxin trial, Sputnik-V to reach Kanpur trial

So far, as many as 53,945,763 people have been infected by the Covid-19 across the world, numbers published by the John Hopkins University show. Most of the fresh cases were reported from the United States and Europe.

A worldwide search for a vaccine to cure the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues as several countries across the world are busy battling resurgence of the outbreak. So far, as many as 53,945,763 people have been infected by the Covid-19 across the world, numbers published by the John Hopkins University show. Most of the fresh cases were reported from the United States and Europe. While 1,311,427 others have succumbed to the disease.

A nurse prepares Russia's ‘Sputnik-V’ vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for inoculation at a clinic in Tver, Russia. (Reuters)

Here is what is happening in Covid-19 vaccine development front:

- The first batch of Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine for Covid-19 is likely to reach Kanpur’s Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College by next week wherein the vaccine’s Phase 2 and Phase 3 human clinical trials will be conducted. The Russian officials recently claimed that the Sputnik-V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from Covid-19 citing findings in the human trials.

- More than 250 applications have been received for the trial of Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’, one of the three vaccine candidates being developed in India, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital of the Aligarh Muslim University.

- Johnson & Johnson will spend about $604 million expanding its deal with the US government to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will commit about $454 million in additional money to the Phase 3 Ensemble trial, which seeks to evaluate the efficacy of the company’s vaccine candidate as a single-dose.

(With agency inputs)