The human trial phase of Covaxin, the first Indian made vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19, has started in AIIMS Patna on Monday.

AIIMS Patna is one of the 12 medical institutes chosen by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct human trials of Covaxin.

The trials are to be conducted on 18 volunteers selected by the hospital authority.

Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

It is to be noted that in the midst of everyone anxiously waiting for a vaccine, ICMR has set a deadline of August 15 for the completion of human trials of the said vaccine.

On the contrary, in a recent presentation given by certain top government officials to a Rajya Sabha Standing Committee, it was said that the nation will not see a vaccine before the first quarter of 2021.

Russia, meanwhile, has completed the first human trials of its vaccine against the deadly virus.

Human trials are at different stages of completion in few other countries across the world.