(VOVWORLD) - The first clinical trial phase of Covivac, the second made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine, has been registering volunteers since Friday, according to the Health Ministry’s Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC).
 Collecting samples of volunteers (Photo: Minh Quyet/VNA) |
Volunteers must be between 18 and 59 years old and in good health. All volunteers, after 9 medical exams, will receive 2 Covivac injections 28 days apart. Blood samples will be taken before and after injection to measure COVID-19 antibodies.
Dr. Duong Huu Thai, IVAC’s Director, says Covivac has been tested on animals, and clinical trials have shown it to be effective against the coronavirus variants found in the UK and South Africa.
"In the first phase, carried out by the Hanoi Medical University, we plan to test Covivac on 125 people in Hanoi. Volunteers will be monitored for 2 months. We will have to go through 3 phases of human trials, so the vaccine will not be ready for use until the end of this year,” said Mr. Thai.