Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam visits the volunteers on December 20. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The first three volunteersreceiving Nano Covax - the Vietnamese-made anti-COVID-19 vaccine - are in goodhealth conditions 72 hours after injection, with all indications provingthat the vaccine is safe for human, according to the Ministry of Health andMilitary Medical Academy.
The initial results of the vaccine on human were reported toDeputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam who visited the volunteers on December 20.
As no abnormal reaction has been found on the volunteers, oneman and two women aged 20-25, on December 21, the Military Medical Academy isscheduled to administer the vaccine on the remaining volunteers who registered for the first phase of thetrial.
According to leaders of the academy, after reviewing recordsof the vaccine’s effects on mouse and monkey, experts hope that following thesecond and third phases, the immunogenesis of the vaccine will be fully assessed and meet the requirements.
The trial will have three phases. In the first, thevaccine will be injected into 60 persons who are divided into three groups toreceive different doses of 25 mcg, 50mcg, and 75mcg.
The objective of the first phase is to evaluate the safetyof the vaccine. Following the success of the first phase, the second willinvolve 400-600 people to define the optimal dose, and the third will seethe engagement of at least 1,500-3,000 people. The figure may be expanded to10,000-30,000.
After the third phase, the vaccine’s safety, immunogenesis and effectiveness are expected to be assessed.
The Ministry of Health has created all favourable conditionsto shorten the time for the trial phases compared to the normal conditions, butstill ensuring all steps, safety and scientific requirements.
Deputy Prime Minister Dam spoke highly of the effortsof the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the MilitaryMedical Academy as well as the research and production units of the vaccine.
He said that the implementation of the vaccine’s trialphases must be continued with the full observation of regulations of the Ministryof Health in a safe and prompt manner.
“If the trial is successful, it would be not only a pride of the healthscience and healthcare sector but also an effective tool to fight the pandemic,”stated the Deputy PM.
Citing experience from the production of medical bio-products for SARS-CoV-2 testing,the Deputy PM asked the research and production units as well as Statemanagement agencies to work closely with one another to “race against the time”, whilecontinue preparing necessary conditions for the next steps following thesuccess of the vaccine trials, with calculation for both good and bad circumstances.
In the context of high prices and limited supply of the vaccines against the pandemic inthe world, the acceleration of the research and productionof the vaccine inside the country is necessary, said a leader of the Ministryof Health.
However, Deputy PM Dam underlined that vaccination is still afuture matter, highlighting the need to focus on preventive measures againstthe pandemic.
He asked the Ministry of Science and Technology, theMilitary Medical Academy, and the Bio-Technology Institute to build and developa centre for the research and development of vaccines against newly-emergingpandemics, including the construction of a bio-safety lab at at least Level Three, thus helping the country become ready for new pandemics and disastersrelated to human’s health in the future.
He also agreed with the proposal of the Military MedicalAcademy on the increase of training for response against emergency cases anddisasters in schools and medical training facilities./.
