Patna: Due to very few volunteers turning up at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna for the third and final phase of the clinical trial of indigenously developed “Covaxin”, health officials are beginning to worry.
AIIMS-Patna figures among the list of 21 medical institutes selected from across India by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) where the final phase of human trial will be conducted.
The final phase trial of the vaccine began at this institute on December 4 but in the past over a week, only 40 volunteers have offered themselves for trial while the hospital wants at least 1,000 persons for the final trial to assess its accuracy rate.
No enthusiasm
In the first two phases, however, the local people showed much enthusiasm for the trial and the result was that the first phase of trial was completed in just two days while the second phase was completed in three days. The same enthusiasm is entirely missing in the final phase though as is evident from the low turnout of the volunteers.
“We appeal to the people to reach us in large numbers and offer themselves for vaccine trial. If such situation continued the wait for the vaccine could get much longer,” AIIMS’s medical superintendent and principal investigator of vaccine trial Dr. SM Singh said.
“We wanted 1,000 volunteers for the clinical trial in the final phase and our target was to administer the dose to at least 50 persons per day but only 4-5 persons are turning up daily,” Singh added. He said any healthy individual above 18 years of age and not infected with COVID-19 might offer themselves for clinical trial.
Reports said recent controversies involving alleged complications as a result of taking doses of these vaccines being developed by some countries have prompted the volunteers to stay away from trials.
Manufacturing partner
The first story was reported in November end from the southern Indian city of Chennai where a man demanded compensation of Rs 50 million from Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) citing neurological and physiological issues as a result of taking dose ‘Covidhield’. This vaccine is being developed by UK’s Oxford University and US’s Pharma giant AstraZeneca. SII is a manufacturing partner of this vaccine. The 40-year-old volunteer also demanded that the testing, manufacturing and distribution of experimental coronavirus vaccine be halted immediately.
The second story came last week from Haryana state where the present home minister Anil Vij tested positive for COVID-19 days after getting a shot of Covid vaccine. The third story came barely two days back from the UK where two of the first people vaccinated with Pfizer Inc—BioNTech SE shot had an allergic reaction following the injection.
State health department officials said the doctors and health workers, both in the government and private hospitals, would get the first dose of vaccines once they are available.
Police and other such officials on the forefront of battle against viruses will be the second ones to get the second dose while the common men’s turn will come in the third phase. Officials have planned to store the vaccines at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna which has the total capacity to store little over 500,000 vial vaccines at its cold store. It is from Patna that the vaccines will be supplied to other parts of the state.
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