Mumbai: KEM hospital gets gets nod for COVID-19 vaccine trials

KEM Hospital Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh told that post approval of the committee, screening of volunteers for the trials will begin from Wednesday

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital on Tuesday got the approval of the Maharashtra ethics committee for conducting phase II and III trials for the Oxford Covishield vaccine candidate, an official said. KEM Hospital Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh told PTI that post approval of the committee, screening of volunteers for the trials will begin from Wednesday. The process would need 100 volunteers, he added. "We need an adult without prior infection, including coronavirus. Starting today, we will screen people and hopefully will be able to give doses to 3-4 people every day as part of the ongoing trial.

"We need to keep a volunteer under observation for an hour after administering the vial," he said. Sources said Nair Hospital, another major facility run by the metropolis' civic body, has also received approval for conducting clinical trials of the Oxford Covishield vaccine. Trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate are being conducted in Pune also.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccinecandidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, UK.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!