Haryana health minister Anil Vij was on Friday administered a trial shot of Bharat Biotech International Limited’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Covaxin, as its phase three trials began in the state. On Thursday, Vij had offered to be the first volunteer for Covaxin’s trial shot.
“Trial for third phase of Covaxin, a coronavirus vaccine product of Bharat Biotech, to start in Haryana on 20th November. I have offered myself as the first volunteer to get vaccinated,” Vij, who also holds the state home portfolio, had tweeted on Thursday. “I will be administered trial dose tomorrow at 11am , at Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt under the expert supervision of a team of Doctors from PGI Rohtak and Health Department. I have volunteered to take the trial dose,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had posted in a subsequent tweet.
{{/usCountry}}“Trial for third phase of Covaxin, a coronavirus vaccine product of Bharat Biotech, to start in Haryana on 20th November. I have offered myself as the first volunteer to get vaccinated,” Vij, who also holds the state home portfolio, had tweeted on Thursday. “I will be administered trial dose tomorrow at 11am , at Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt under the expert supervision of a team of Doctors from PGI Rohtak and Health Department. I have volunteered to take the trial dose,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had posted in a subsequent tweet.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, Bharat Biotech had announced it had started phase three trials of Covaxin. The Hyderabad-based firm has developed Covaxin indigenously in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is also conducting its trials in partnership with the government body. The trials, Bharat Biotech had said, would involve a total of 26,000 people and be conducted at 25 centres across the country.
Also Read | Phase 3 trial of Covaxin to begin in Haryana on Nov 20, minister Anil Vij offers to be first volunteer
“After successful completion of the interim analysis from the phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech received Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for phase 3 clinical trials in 26,000 participants in over 25 centres across India,” the company had said in a statement. This will be India’s first phase 3 efficacy study for a Covid-19 vaccine, and the largest such trial ever conducted in the country, the statement added.
Also Read | Covid-19: Bharat Biotech begins Phase 3 trials of Covaxin in India
As of November 19, Haryana had recorded 209,251 cases of Covid-19, as per the state government’s daily media bulletin. This includes 187,559 recoveries, 19,579 active cases and 2,113 deaths.