The Covid-19 vaccine is developed in the following manner1:
| Phases of vaccine development or trial | Purpose |
| Pre-clinical phase | In this stage, the vaccine is developed in the laboratory. |
| Phase 1 Clinical trial (8-10 participants) | Phase 1 is essential for testing the safety of the vaccine. |
| Phase 2 Clinical trial (50-100 participants) | Phase 2 is essential for testing vaccine immunogenicity i.e. production of antibodies against viruses. |
| Phase 3 Clinical trial (30,000-50,000 participants) | Phase 3 is essential for testing actual protection offered by the vaccine, i.e, based on a larger survey group. |
Once the vaccine clears phase 3 of the trial, it is eligible to get licensed and becomes available to the public on the basis of government guidelines.
0- COVID-19 Vaccines Operational Guidelines, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, accessed at https://main.mohfw.gov.in/newshighlights-31 (Page 18).[↩]
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