Coronavirus vaccine COVAXIN : Clinical trials begins at NIMS

The much-anticipated trial phase of India's first potential COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, has begun here at the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on Tuesday, said a top official of the state-run medical facility. "We 're going to pick healthy people and draw blood and send blood samples to approved New Delhi laboratories".

They'll send out the green signal. Instead the drug will be tested by people and due attention will be given to the first shot of the vaccine, "NIMS director Dr. K Manohar told PTI.

The Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR) has established 12 clinical trial sites such as medical institutions and hospitals, including NIMS, and has directed their primary investigators to ensure that the subject registration is initiated by July 7 at the latest.

"All will be sent to ICMR where data is processed. We have already begun screening people. Next, we will take the individual's audio-visual consent," the medical officer said.Asked about the total number of individuals needed for the clinical trial, Manohar said that it would require at least 30.

India's second possible COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, is all set to begin its human trial this month, the firm said. The trials will be carried out on 1,000 volunteers across multiple locations across the country. Chairman of the Zydus Cadila party, Pankaj Patel said the trials would take three months to complete.