Final phase of Covaxin clinical trials underway at NIMS

Hyderabad: Clinical trials of Covaxin, jointly developed by Bharat Biotech and ICMR have reached the final phase at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad. Booster dose has been given to 10 volunteers today and to 11 volunteers on Tuesday.

According to the hospital authorities, the vaccine is said to have given better results in the second phase. In the first phase, 50 volunteers have been given Covaxin zero dose and the health condition of all is said to be stable. Out of the 50, people those who have completed their 14 days from the date of the first dose have been selected for the booster dose.

Those who received the booster dose will be doctor's observation for 24 hours before sending them to home. So far, seven persons have got booster dose in the second phase. The doctors said that they are speaking to the volunteers on video call twice a day. The condition of those who received the first shot and second shot is stable.

NIMS is one among 12 hospitals chose by the ICMR to conduct human trials of Covaxin. The vaccine was developed from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.