Hanoi (VNA) - The first 35 volunteers received injections of the home-grown Nano Covax in the second phase of human trial at the Military Medical University on February 26.
The 35 volunteers were chosen among about 300 people who registered to participatein the second-stage trial of the vaccine at the University after undergoing rigorous medical examinations. They aredivided into three groups for receiving three different doses of 25mcg, 50mcgand 75mcg, and one group with five people getting placebo.
According to a representative from the University, a total 560 volunteers, aged18-60, including those with several diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes, amongothers, will participate in the second-stage trial, which is carried out in Hanoi andthe Mekong Delta province of Long An.
Lieutenant-General Do Quyet,Director of the Military Medical University, said since the trial sees theparticipation of volunteers with underlying health conditions, competentauthorities have been prepared for all scenarios and ensure safety forall volunteers.
Results of the trial will be announced in May 2021 before preparing for the third-stage trial during which only one single shot of the vaccine will beadministered to 10,000-15,000 people from both domestic and foreignpandemic-hit regions, Quyet added.
Present at the second-stage trial of NanoCovax at Military Medical University, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam encouragedthe volunteers and the medical workers, while expressing his firm belief in theability of the Vietnamese scientists in successfully developing COVID-19vaccines.
The first-stage trial of the Nano Covax vaccine showed that it is likely to beeffective against B117 variant from the UK.
Vietnamis one among 40 countries in the world that have started human trials of aCOVID-19 vaccine, after successfully producing coronavirus test kits early intothe pandemic.
The country also has several otherCOVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed, which are IVAC by the Institute of Vaccines andMedical Biologicals, VABIOTECH by the Company for Vaccine and Biological ProductionNo 1, and POLYVAC by the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines andBiologicals./.