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Bharat Biotech set to launch phase II trial of Covaxin soon
Preparations are underway for the second phase of the human clinical trial of ‘Covaxin’. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, the maker of India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate, had recently received the Indian Council for Medical Research’s (ICMR) approval to conduct trials across 12 medical centers in the country.
S Eswara Reddy, Joint Drugs Controller, in a letter to Bharat Biotech, conveyed the organization’s nod for starting phase II trials in India. These trials will be conducted on 380 volunteers, who will be screened for four days after receiving the vaccine shots.
The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar is one of the 12 medical centers chosen by the ICMR for conducting the human trial of the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech.
EV Rao, Principal Investigator of the trial at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Faculty of Medical Sciences, said, “The Phase I of the trial is still continuing and we are planning to start Phase II trial shortly.”
Rao said ‘no side effects’ were found in the vaccine’s phase 1 trial. The blood samples were collected from volunteers after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to ascertain how effective it was in terms of the development of antibodies.
“Two doses of the vaccine were administered to each volunteer after they were selected through a screening process conducted over a period of three to seven days prior to vaccination. The first dose was administered on Day Zero while and the second dose was given on Day 14,” Rao added.
Blood samples of the volunteers will also be collected on days 28, 42, 104, 194 for estimating the duration of protection, he added. Rao said there was a lot of enthusiasm among people to be a part of the second phase human trial.
An earthquake of Magnitude 4.9 hit Nepal, India, and China at around 03.00 pm IST. Tremors were felt in Nepal with light tremors in some cities like Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, and Patna in the Indian state of Bihar.
The epicenter is said to be 10 km from Phulpingkatti in Nepal. More updates are awaited.
LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II has died in Scotland aged 96 after battling health problems since last October, the Royal Family announced Thursday. Doctors had placed the queen under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands.
Buckingham Palace has just released the following statement: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Her close family rushed to her bedside as doctors grew “concerned” about her health on Thursday, Buckingham Palace said. Her grandson and his wife, Harry and Meghan Markle – who had a public showdown with the Palace, flew in from Canada.
According to news agency AFP, the Queen pulled out of a planned meeting with her senior political advisors on Wednesday, after being told to rest. The previous day she had audiences at Balmoral – her Scottish Highlands retreat, with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and appointed his successor, Liz Truss.
In recent months, the Queen appeared visibly frail and had a series of withdrawals from public engagements. She had taken to walking with a stick and was also seen touring the Chelsea Flower Show in a motorized buggy.
In June, the UK came together for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the British throne. Her husband, Prince Phillip, died last year at the age of 99, two months before his 100th birthday.
Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK’s entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.
Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, and appointed by the Queen earlier this week. She held weekly audiences with her prime minister throughout her reign.
The nightingale of the music industry, Lata Mangeshkar Ji passed away on February 6 at the age of 92 in the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She was born on September 29, 1929. Very few singers have achieved the admiration that she did in her life.
She sang thousands of songs in more than 20 different languages. Not only in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, she was also admired and praised in western countries.
PM Modi was among the first ones to share the sad news. “The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people,” he tweeted.
Apart from Bharat Ratna, she received numerous honors like the Daughter of the Nation award, the Legion of Honour award from the French government, and many more. Lata Mangeshkar truly was a gift that India will never cease cherishing.
We at Giveupnot pay our heartly tributes to her and wish that “unki aatma ko sadgati prapt ho”, OM SHANTI.
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