VHP Officeholder Offers Himself For Human Trials Of Potential Covid-19 Vaccine

Amid reports of India's COVID-19 vaccine given a green signal for human trials, a top functionary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has offered himself for it.

Surendra jain, VHP's joint general secretary has written in this regard to the Vice Chancellor of Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of health sciences in Rohtak, which is one of the hospital whose head was written a letter by ICMR DG Balram Bhargava to begin human clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Offering himself for the human trial, Jain wrote, "I will be ready, whenever you call me for these trials."

The vaccine is being developed jointly by Bharat Biotech and ICMR.

Bhargava wrote in a letter informing about the clinical trials to heads of King George College, Vishakapatnam; Pt BD Sharma PGIMS University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, and AIIMS New Delhi Director Randeep Guleria among others.

Earlier on 29 June, Bharat Biotech had announced that it's Covid-19 vaccine candidate COVAXIN received approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials after the company submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response.

Human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India in July 2020, Bharat Biotech said.

(With inputs from IANS)