HYDERABAD: India’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin by Bharat Biotech reached a new milestone in trials. On Tuesday and Wednesday, booster shots were given to 32 of the 50 candidates for trial.
This is the second shot of the vaccine and will show how safe this vaccine is on human beings. The first one was administered in July.
“We are in the middle of the Phase-I trial which will last for one more month. This week is crucial as we have administered the booster dose. We have been monitoring the patients on a weekly basis by checking their BP, heart rate, and other indices. We have also been using telemedicine facilities to monitor them,” said a senior doctor involved in the study.
In Phase-I, two shots are administered to each of the 50-odd patients, the objective is to see how safe the vaccine is.
“The idea is to look for fever, rashes or other conditions, which may appear as a reaction to the vaccine. In Phase-II, how many vaccines must be given to have an antibody response in the patients will be determined,” added another doctor.
In this phase, the antibody- Titers’ or level of antibodies generated in the patient’s body will be examined.