Hyderabad, Jul 20 (PTI) The Phase-1 human clinical trials for Covaxin, a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 developed by city-based Bharat Biotech, began at the state-run Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here on Monday.

We started phase-1 human clinical trials today. The vaccine was given to two volunteers. Both of them are stable, a doctor, associated with the exercise, said.

Also Read | 751 COVID-19 Positive Cases Reported in Jammu And Kashmir Today: Live News Breaking and Coronavirus Updates on July 20, 2020.

The process for conducting the clinical trials for Covaxin began on July 7 at the NIMS. It has also been started at Rohtak's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences last week.

The phase I and II clinical trials of the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 by Bharat Biotech have been approved by the Indian drug regulator after pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety and immune response.

Also Read | Defence Ministry Signs Rs 557-Crore Contract with BEML to Procure 1,512 Mine Plough For T-90 Tanks.

The company has developed the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The ICMR had identified 12 clinical trial sites such as medical institutions and hospitals, including NIMS, and asked their principal investigators to ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated no later than July 7.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)