A total of 25 volunteers have been administered the Covishield vaccine in Mysuru as part of the human trials.
Ever since the trials began last Saturday, 25 healthy volunteers have received their vaccine shots at JSS Hospital in Mysuru, Pro Chancellor of JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (JSSAHER) B. Suresh told The Hindu.
The volunteers, who had been administered the vaccine after undergoing a complete health check-up, will be monitored over the coming days. The first stage of monitoring lasts for 28 days by when the volunteers will be checked for any fever, allergy and side effects, said Dr. Suresh.
Along with the 25 volunteers from Mysuru, the data of 75 other volunteers from the remaining three centres across the country will be collated by the end of 28 days. “If any issue arises, it will be dealt with,” he said.
Later, the trials will be expanded to cover 1,100 people in phase 3 trials, which will be conducted across 17 centres.
These 25 volunteers in Mysuru are among the 100 volunteers from four different centres across the country who had enlisted for phase 2 trials of Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with Oxford University and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine, supplied the requisite number of vaccines to JSSAHER for the trials.
JSSAHER, which is the only centre in Karnataka selected for the clinical trials of Covishield, will administer the vaccine candidate to a total of 250 volunteers. Dr. Suresh is hopeful of the success of Covishield and expects the results to be out by November or December this year.