“The antibodies against the infection build up in a human being only after a specific number of days pass after the second dose of the vaccine is taken.”
A little over two weeks after the Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij participated in the Phase 3 trial of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, he tweeted on Saturday morning that he has tested positive for the virus.
Responding to the social media post, the Union Health Ministry said: “Antibodies against the infection build up in a human being only after a specific number of days pass after the second dose of the vaccine is taken, since this is a two-dose vaccine. The Minister in question has taken only one dose of the vaccine.”
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Bharat Biotech said the clinical trials of Covaxin are based on a two-dose schedule, given 28 days apart. Reacting to the incident the Hyderabad-based drug maker said the vaccine efficacy will be determined 14 days post the second dose.
“Covaxin has been designed to be efficacious when subjects receive both doses. Safety is our primary criteria in vaccine development,” the coompany said in its statement.
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It added that one of the three COVID vaccine candidates being tested in India, Covaxin will be administered to 26,000 subjects across 25 sites.
“The Phase 3 trials are double blinded and randomised, where 50% of subjects will receive a vaccine and 50% of subjects will receive a placebo,” it said.
The statement also noted that Bharat Biotech has supplied more than 4 billion doses, to more than 80 countries, with an excellent track record of safety. “The Phase 3 trials of Covaxin is the only efficacy trial being conducted in India for COVID-19 vaccines, to determine its suitability to the diverse Indian population,” it added.
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: www.thehindu.com
