COVID-19 vaccine trials: Six volunteers get second shots of Covivac

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A volunteer receives the second shot of COVIVAC vaccine. Photo: VOV

They are the first out of 120 volunteers in the first phase of trials for Covivac to receive the second shot, which is administered 28 days after the first one.

Since the start of the trials on March 15, 96 volunteers have been injected with the first shot and the remainder are expected to be inoculated by April 18.

A mid-term report of the first phase is expected to be completed in July.

Covivac, made by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC), is in the first stage of clinical testing by the Hanoi Medical University’s Centre of Clinical Pharmacology.

Associate Professor, Dr Pham Thi Van Anh, head of the centre, said 66 volunteers displayed slight reactions like swelling at the injection site and headache, which, however, disappeared within 24 hours after injection without treatment requirements. No serious side effects were seen within seven days after injection.

A researcher (L) informs a volunteer about the Covivac vaccine trials at the Hanoi Medical University. Photo: VnExpress

Last week, Vietnam also completed second shots of Nano Covax in the second-stage human trials.

Nano Covax, developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, is the first COVID-19 vaccine of Vietnam to be tested in clinical trials.

A preliminary report on testing results is scheduled to be issued this May.

The third phase of human trials is expected to cover 10,000 – 15,000 people in both Vietnam and other countries.

Apart from Covivac and Nano Covax, Vietnam has other COVID-19 candidate vaccines under development: VABIOTECH from the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No 1, and POLYVAC from the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals.

Authorities have begun large-scale vaccination after receiving 117,600 doses from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, starting with frontline workers.

The government is also negotiating with manufacturers in the US, Russia and some other countries to obtain a total 150 million doses this year to cover 70 percent of the country’s population.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan, the ministry expects that Vietnam will have its own vaccine for use and even export between late 2021 and early 2022./.

Vietnam to have second Covid-19 vaccine available in early 2022 Vietnam’s homegrown Covid-19 vaccine – Covivac – is expected to be ready for use in Quarter 1 of 2022 after going through all needed procedures.

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