Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has offered himself as a volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccine trial that is set to begin in Haryana on 20 November.
“Trial for the third phase of Covaxin a coronavirus vaccine product of Bharat Biotech to start in Haryana on 20th November. I have offered myself as the first volunteer to get vaccinated,” Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij tweeted.
Trial for third phase of Covaxin a coronavirus vaccine product of Bhart Biotech to start in Haryana on 20th November. I have offered myself as first volunteer to get vaccinated .
— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) November 18, 2020
Bharat Biotech on Monday announced the commencement of Phase III trials of COVAXIN, involving 26,000 volunteers across India. The trials will be conducted in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and will be the largest clinical trial conducted for a COVID-19 vaccine in India
COVAXIN has been evaluated in about 1,000 subjects in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, with promising safety and immunogenicity data.
Trial volunteers in Phase III will receive two intramuscular injections about 28 days apart. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive COVAXIN or placebo. The trial is double-blinded, such that the investigators, the participants, and the company will not be aware of who is assigned to which group.