Haryana minister Anil Vij, who volunteered in Covaxin trials, says he has tested positive for COVID-19

File image of Haryana minister and BJP leader Anil Vij

Haryana minister Anil Vij, who had volunteered in phase-3 trials of vaccine candidate Covaxin, said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“I have been tested Corona positive. I am admitted in Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. All those who have come in close contact to me are advised to get themselves tested for corona,” Vij said in a tweet on December 5.

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On November 20, the 67-year-old senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was administered a dose of Covaxin, an indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

#WATCH Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij being administered a trial dose of #Covaxin, at a hospital in Ambala.

He had offered to be the first volunteer for the third phase trial of Covaxin, which started in the state today. pic.twitter.com/xKuXWLeFAB

COVID-19 Vaccine

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2020

Vij, who is also Haryana’s health minister, had volunteered to get the vaccine shot in India’s first phase-3 efficacy study.

“Covaxin clinical trials are based on a two dose schedule, given 28 days apart. The vaccine efficacy will be determined 14 days post the second dose. Covaxin has been designed to be efficacious when subjects receive both doses and post the 14-day period after the second dose,” Bharat Biotech said in a statement.

The Union Health Ministry also clarified that “anti-bodies against the infection build up in a human being only after a specific number of days pass after the second dose of the vaccine is taken” as it is a two-dose vaccine. “Minister in question has taken only one dose of the vaccine,” the ministry said.

In October, the vaccine maker had announced successful completion of interim analysis of phase-1 and 2 trials.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: What you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

As of December 5, Haryana had reported 2.4 lakh COVID-19 cases, including 2.3 lakh recoveries. While there were about 14,000 ‘active’ cases, more than 2,500 people had died in the state due to the infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus. India’s COVID-19 tally stood at 96 lakh on December 5, including nearly 1.4 lakh deaths. More than 4 lakh cases remain active, even as 90 lakh patients have recovered across the country.

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