New Delhi, August 31: COVAXIN, India's first indigenously developed vaccine candidate for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, has been found safe and side-effect free in phase 1 trials. Developed by Bharat Biotech with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), COVAXIN accelerated the production of antibodies in volunteers without side-effects, Times of India reported quoting Dr E Venkata Rao, one of the doctors responsible for conducting the trials. COVID-19 Vaccine Covishield, Developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca, Faces Ire of Muslim, Christian Clerics in Australia Over Use of Fetal Cells.

According to Dr Rao, those who volunteered in the phase 1 trials of COVAXIN recorded a spike in the production of antibodies soon after receiving the dose. The participants did not suffer from any side-effects after the inoculation, lab results showed. The phase 2 trial of COVAXIN is currently underway. India has currently three vaccine candidates for COVID-19, including COVAXIN. COVID-19 Vaccine Latest News Update: After Sputnik V, Three More Coronavirus Vaccines Being Registered, Says Russia.

The other two are ChAdOx1, developed by Oxford University and manufactured jointly by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and AstraZeneca, and ZycovD by Zydus Cadila. The SII has started phase 2 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine. It has shortlisted 10 centres across India to host phases-2 and 3 for human clinical trials. Zydus Cadila has also administered the second dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan last week said that the country will have a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus by the end of the year. "I hope that if everything goes well, India will have access to a coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2020," the minister had tweeted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 31, 2020 07:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).