58% more volunteers were enrolled for vaccine trial, says People’s College dean

Bhopal: About 58% more than the expected clinical trial volunteers were enrolled by Bhopal’s People’s medical college in the controversial coronavirus vaccine trial.

“Bharat Biotech had given us a target of 1,000 volunteers for the third phase trial of Covaxin, but we enrolled 1,700,” said PCMS dean, Dr Anil Dixit, at a press conference here on Monday. The press meet comes five days after the news of a vaccine volunteer’s death. “10% or about 170 of the volunteers in the clinical trial are medical professionals,” Dr Dixit said, rejecting allegations that uneducated people were targeted for enrolment in the clinical trial.

The guidelines indicated that maximum trial volunteers should be within 4km of the medical college. The campus is near the abandoned UCIL factory — the ground zero of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster. The surrounding localities are by and large populated by the Bhopal gas victims. Many of them enrolled for the trial along with people from poor economic background. Some of the volunteers were illiterate. Questions related to the volunteer’s death dominated the press conference. People’s College of Medical Sciences officials restated that all clinical trial protocols were followed. However, when asked for details about the college SEC committee, he replied, “It was confidential and their names cannot be disclosed.” After the death of the clinical trial volunteer, activists pointed out the lack of transparency in the way the vaccine trial has been conducted. PCMS and Bharat Biotech, the vaccine manufacturer, have dismissed the allegations.