As countries across the globe continue to race against time and each other to be the first to develop and deliver an effective COVID-19 vaccine, millions continue to follow the vaccine developments in India after the good work the subcontinent pulled off with a game-changing Polio vaccine.

© Twitter/Mirror Now

Earlier last month reports suggested that after one of India’s key vaccine contenders AstraZeneca announced that their vaccine deliveries may be delayed, all focus shifted to Bharat Biotech's ‘Covaxin’, which was expected to launch months earlier than expected after late-stage trials showed it was safe and effective.

However, many hopes may have been dashed as of this morning after news broke that Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 just weeks after he was given a trial dose of Covaxin.

© Twitter/Mirror Now

The minister had offered to be the first volunteer from Haryana for Covaxin's Phase 3 trials, and is currently admitted in Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. Sure enough, people are now questioning Covaxin’s efficacy, to which a health ministry official has told HT that ‘the antibodies against the infection build up only after a specific number of days pass after the second dose of the vaccine is taken, since it is a two-dose vaccine,’ while Mr Anil Vij had only received a single dose before testing positive for COVID-19.

© Twitter/ANI

We hope the manufacturers will share an explanation on this latest development because millions of people have pinned their hopes on the vaccine. In the meantime, let’s check out what people are saying online.

Efficiency of. Vaccine pic.twitter.com/YOLnGk2PHg

— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) December 5, 2020

Vaccination doesn't stop infections. Vaccine helps to fight the disease, once disease causing organism lands in the body. You don't know whether Anilji received a placebo. Wait for the details.

— Kalidasu Giridhar (@KalidasuGirid) December 5, 2020

Haryana Health Minister #anilvij
who was given trial dose of corona virus vaccine,tests positive

*le minister pic.twitter.com/e0maiMdJfr

— Bakchodi_Legend_ (@Ganesh74288543) December 5, 2020

Maaf karo Modi Ji. Mai vaccine ke bina hi jee lunga pic.twitter.com/Z2KWm8FAT4

— ꜱ ɪ ᴅ ᴅ ʜ ᴀ ʀ ᴛ ʜ (@illmatic_sid) December 5, 2020

Vaccines take around 2 weeks to start developing antibodies. Anil Vij must have been infected around 4-5 days back at least (ie just 10 days after taking first dose) #Covaxin of #BharatBiotech can't be blamed here at all!

Those who are jumping for vaccine failure can cry now!

— Riya Agrahari (@Riyaagrahari8) December 5, 2020

This thread should clear all doughts regarding Minister Anil Vij getting Corona despite taking the vaccine dose.
Cc: @NagpurKaRajini https://t.co/B2qLaQnleF

— Milap Patel🇮🇳 (@milap559) December 5, 2020

*Haryana Minister Anil Vij who was given the trial COVID vaccine last month has now tested positive*

Le Coronavirus:- pic.twitter.com/LRmFDXy3t0

— Wittycasm (@wittycasm) December 5, 2020

Based on people’s reactions it is obvious that while some people are calling the vaccine “a failure”, most people are willing to give the trials the benefit of doubt and stick to the conjectures that Mr Vij was either given a placebo to begin with or the lack of the second dose is to blame. Let’s see where this goes in the days to come.

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