Phase III Trials Of Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Likely To begin In India On Saturday

New Delhi: The phase III trials of the Oxford vaccine for COVID-19 are likely to start this week in India.

According to a report in India Today TV, the trials are likely to begin as early as August 22, Saturday. About 100 people will be vaccinated on the first day itself.

The vaccine’s phase III trials, being handled by the Serum Institute of India and developed by Oxford University, will start in India at 20 centres. Pune and Mumbai in Maharashtra and Ahmedabad in Gujarat are the first places where the trials will take place. This has been informed to the Parliamentary standing committee on home affairs. The vaccine will be administered to 1,600 people in this phase.

The Oxford University vaccine candidate — Covishield — is likely to be the first vaccine to move into production in India, according to sources of India Today TV.

“Some 20 different sites and hospitals across the country have been chosen, covering five different regions that are Covid-19 hotspots. We seek to conduct trials across 11-12 hospitals in partnership with ICMR,” a spokesperson of the Serum Institute said. Serum Institute is the Indian production partner of the Oxford vaccine.