New Delhi: With global coronavirus cases crossing the 8 million-mark, Russian Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that clinical trials of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus have begun in the country, joining the global race to develop a safe COVID-19 vaccine.

Two forms of the vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya research institute—liquid and powder for injections—will be tested on two groups of volunteers, 38 people each, the statement said. The participants will be isolated in two Moscow hospitals.

Professor Gintsburg had earlier said that mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus may begin in Russia this fall, although the process might take up to nine months.

Running clinical trials in the midst of a pandemic is a unique situation. So unprecedented measures have been taken all potential participants of the trial … spent two weeks (quarantined) in a sanatorium for observation, the ministry said, adding that the first injections are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

From experimental drug remdesivir making strides to generic steroid drug dexamethasone emerging as the first Covid-19 drug, the race to developing the antidote to Covid-19 is getting more interesting by the day.

Here are some of the latest development around Covid-19 vaccine development:

• Drugmaker Gilead Sciences said it will soon begin enrolment of pediatric patients with moderate-to-severe Covid-19 in a late-stage study testing its experimental drug, remdesivir.

• Clinical trials of a Russian coronavirus vaccine started on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

• The European Union (EU) is planning to accelerate the development of Covid-19 vaccines through advance purchase agreements with promising medical companies, the bloc announced in a statement on Wednesday.

• Israel has signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential Covid-19 vaccine, the Prime Minister said.

• The WHO said testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for Covid-19 patients had been halted after results from other trials showed no benefit.

• China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp. known as Sinopharm on Tuesday said that an inactivated Covid-19 vaccine developed by its subsidiary China National Biotec Group’s (CNBG) Wuhan Institute of Biological Products has triggered a strong neutralizing antibody response in a phase 1/2 trial.