36 volunteers get first jab of Covivac vaccine, recoveries total 2,359
Thứ Tư, 31/03/2021, 17:34
A further 36 volunteers participating in human trials for Covivac, the second locally-produced COVID-19 vaccine, have been given the first shot, according to Vu Dinh Thiem, director of the Center for Clinical Trials under the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
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They only underwent mild side effects such as pain at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, and fatigue. However, these side effects last only around a day, Thiem stated.
An additional 15 volunteers are due to be given Covivac vaccine on March 31 and the next injection is set to be conducted on April 2, with a further 15 volunteers.A midterm report on the first phase of the experimental injection is due for finalization in July.
If the vaccine shows that the standards of safety are met and the immunization is capable of disease prevention based on the approval of the Ministry of Health, the second phase of clinical trials on the Covivac vaccine will be carried out at the Health Center of Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province.
Covivac, developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) on March 15 was proved to be effective against the new SARS-CoV strain detected in both the UK and South Africa.
Furthermore, as the first domestically-produced COVID-19 vaccine, Nanocovax, which has been developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, moved onto its second phase of human trials on February 26.
According to the National Expanded Immunisation Programme as of March 30, an additional 1,840 people across nine provinces and cities, had been vaccinated, bringing the overall number of vaccinated people nationwide to 48,256.
On March 31 morning, Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases, keeping the national infection tally at 2,594, including 1,603 cases of local transmission and 991 imported ones.
One day earlier, 51 further coronavirus patients were declared free from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 2,359.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has consented to allocate VND270 billion from the central budget reserve in 2021 to help the northern province of Hai Duong in its COVID-19 containment efforts as the locality has been hardest hit by the pandemic since the resurgence of the virus in late January.
Hai Duong has so far brought the pandemic under control, with its social distancing period set to come to an end by the end of March 31.
