Pune: Phase 2 Human Trial of COVID Vaccine Begins at Bharati Hospital

Mehab Qureshi

Katraj, August 26, 2020: Clinical trials of the ‘COVISHIELD’ vaccine will be done by Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Medical College and Hospital, Dhankwadi. It will be the first medical institution in the country to administer the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in humans.

Oxford University has developed the COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with the Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Pune-based Serum Institute of India. Finally, the vaccine has undergone its second phase after a lengthy delay.

Maharashtra Minister Dr Vishwajit Kadam said that the search for the effective vaccine on COVID-19 is going on day and night worldwide. The Serum Institute and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have selected 15 locations across the country to test the vaccine. Among them, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Medical College’s Bharati Hospital in Dhankawadi is the only hospital in the western region. For the last four to five months, 19 patients of COVID have been undergoing treatment at Bharati Hospital. So far, more than 2,000 patients have been cured.

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“Five people from Bharati Hospital in Pune, who had volunteered for Serum Institute’s vaccine, have been given the first dose of the vaccine. They will remain under medical observation for the next two months. All five will undergo the first RTCPR test. Also, healthy people who are COVID negative will be vaccinated. After that, those who are positive will be vaccinated as well. The medical team of Bharati Hospital and ICMR researchers will monitor all the five volunteers’ health for the next six months. This is a historical event and the Serum Institute vaccine will be available in the next two to three months”, Dr Kadam declared.

The result of the second phase will be vital as it will decide the further future stake of the ongoing pandemic.