COVID-19 TOPIC
Covaxin Tracker: An Overview of Development Progress
Around 200 research teams are working day and night on an effective COVID-19 vaccine.
Covaxin Development Progress
194
Not yet in human trials
41
Small-scale human trials
33
Combination of phases 1 and 2
11
Middle-scale human trials
29
Large-scale human trials
0
Authorization for general use
Source: WHO. Last updated 3 December 2021
Research teams around the globe are working day and night to develop an effective vaccine for COVID-19. However, vaccines generally take years of testing and research before being approved for general use. That's why researchers may pause their trials at any stage if they observe worrying symptoms in animals and human volunteers.
A vaccine can be either a weakened virus or parts of it. It prevents us from being infected with the actual virus by training our immune system to recognize and combat it. Please consult the World Health Organization (WHO)'s website for detailed information on individual vaccines in development.
Vaccine Testing Process
- Pre-clinical stage - After testing a new vaccine on tissues and cells, researchers give it to animals to see if it triggers an immune response.
- Phase 1 of clinical testing - Researchers administer the vaccine to a small number of people to test its safety, determine the dosage, and confirm an immune response.
- Phase 1/2 - To accelerate the vaccine development process, research teams sometimes combine phases 1 and 2. For example, they may administer the vaccine to hundreds of people after the pre-clinical stage.
- Phase 2 - To determine if the vaccine acts differently in different cohorts, researchers administer the vaccine to hundreds of people.
- Phase 3 - To assess the efficacy of the vaccine, researchers administer the vaccine to thousands of people.
- Approved - Regulators approve the vaccine for general use, while scientists continue to monitor its effect. Note that during a pandemic, a vaccine can be used in those in special circumstances without authorization.
