India on January 30, 2020 reported its first-ever COVID-19
case in the southern state of Kerala. A medical
student, who had returned from Wuhan in China, epicentre of the first major global
transmission, tested positive for the virus. In the months that followed, the outbreak escalated into a
pandemic, growing leaps and bounds and ultimately spreading on to every
continent on earth.
With the vaccine development process being
rushed globally, the major vaccine developers: Oxford University- AstraZeneca,
US pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer, and US biotechnology company Moderna, all
aggravated their pace of development of the vaccine.
Also read: India holds back COVID-19 vaccinations over delays in purchase agreement: Report
India, meanwhile, started off with
the clinical trials for two of its major COVID-19 vaccine candidates in mid-2020: Covishield, developed by Serum Institute of India, which uses the
master seed from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as Covaxin, produced
by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in association with the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR).
With the vaccination drive to begin
across India on January 16, 2021, here is a timeline highlighting India’s
COVID-19 vaccine development process:
June 30, 2020: The Drug Controller
General of India (DCGI) approves Covaxin for human trials, which also turns it
into India’s first vaccine candidate.
July 3, 2020: Bharat Biotech
announces that if successful in trials, it would be producing up to 300 million
doses of the vaccine.
July 15, 2020: Phase one clinical
trials of Covaxin, India’s first indigenous vaccine, starts across the country.
August 3, 2020: DCGI permits Serum
Institute of India (SII) to conduct its phase two and three human clinical trials
in India.
August 26, 2020: SII starts its
phase two human trials in India of its vaccine candidate Covishield, taking the
master seed from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine initiative. Two volunteers in Pune’s
Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College receive first jabs.
September 10, 2020: SII halts its COVID-19
vaccine clinical trials, after Oxford University-AstraZeneca pauses it worldwide due to a patient seemingly developing a ‘potentially
unexplained illness’.
October 14, 2020: Bharat Biotech halves
the size of its phase two clinical trials, citing it to be an addition to its
efforts to fast-track the vaccine. Furthermore, the firm reportedly announced
it would test the vaccines on persons over the age of 12 years – an exception
from the phase one trials, done on adults.
October 23, 2020: Bharat Biotech
announces that it is in contact with more than 10 countries, who are interested
in its vaccine candidate, further stating that the phase one and phase two
clinical trials have been conducted safely.
November 1, 2020: Bharat Biotech says
it is planning to launch Covaxin in the second quarter of 2021.
November 12, 2020: Serum Institute
of India and ICMR announce that the enrolment process for its phase three
trials have been completed on October 31, and will be involving 1600 individuals,
set to start off in November.
November 16, 2020: Bharat Biotech
announces the beginning of the phase three trials for Covaxin.
December 7, 2020: SII applies for
emergency use authorisation of its vaccine, Covishield.
Also read: As India approves two COVID-19 vaccines, government criticised over lack of data
January 1, 2021: Emergency use
authorisation is granted for Covishield.
January 2, 2020: First countrywide
dry run for vaccine rollout conducted across 74 districts. Experts panel clears
Covaxin for emergency use.
January 8, 2020: Second dry run held
across 737 districts across the country, the biggest of its nature till date.
