Coronavirus vaccine: Oxford trials run smoothly in India, no adverse side-effects reported so far

Oxford University-AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine trials are well underway. So far, the trials have been conducted smoothly in India, with no reports of adverse side-effects. While some participants experienced fever, they recuperated soon. Scientists believe mild side-effects to be common. Some participants have also been administered the second dose.

A principal investigator from a trial site in Maharashtra said that they are expecting to finish enrolling the participants within the next two months after which they will be monitored for the vaccine's efficacy. "But so far, we haven't seen any side-effects," said the PI, as mentioned in a report in The Print. Another PI said that the vaccine appears to be safe so far but also acknowledged that they have administered only one dose so far.

A top researcher associated with the trial told the news that the trial is running smoothly with some participants having received their second doses. "Very few people have developed fevers after the dose, but this is a mild reaction and nothing to get alarmed about," said the researcher.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trials were halted, including in India, after a participant reported an "unexplained illness" suspected to be an adverse side-effect of the vaccine. India's drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) sent a showcause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) that is manufacturing the vaccine and conducting trials in India. The trials were stopped briefly after that.

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine is among the front-runners in the world. Trials for the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine are being carried on for at least 30,000 participants from the UK, South Africa, Brazil and India.

Along with the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine that has been named Covishield in India, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D are also under trial.

Also read: Don't agree with Adar Poonawalla's Rs 80,000 crore calculation for COVID vaccine, says govt

Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: Which countries are leading the race?