VISAKHAPATNAM: The first dose of Covid vaccine candidate Covishield was given to 80 volunteers as part of the third phase of clinical trials at KGH-AMC.
Andhra Medical College principal PV Sudhakar told The New Indian Express on Thursday that administration of the first dose of vaccine was completed and the samples collected from the volunteers were sent to Serum Institute of India (SII) at Pune for analysis.
The second dose will be given 28 days after administering the first dose of vaccine. The entire process will be over 180 days.
He said the vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech may be launched in the market ahead of Covishield, which was developed jointly by the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and AstraZeneca.
The SII has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine in India.
He said a 20-member team is conducting the trials of Covid vaccine at King George Hospital. The SII will analyse the data received from the centres of clinical trials across the country to ascertain its effectiveness.
More vaccines means more beneficial to people as all of them will get the vaccine, he said.
The AMC principal said the Indian Council of Medical Research will decide on protocol for administering vaccine to the general public after successful trials in the country.
Dr Sudhakar said people should wear masks, maintain social distance and personal hygiene till the vaccine was available in the market.
About 20 of the 40 Covid hospitals have been re-designated and will be undertaking treatment of general patients, he added.