Financial compensation for Kazakhstan residents taking part in COVID-19 vaccine trials
In a significant development, Kazakhstan is conducting a large-scale trial of a COVID-19 vaccine at the City Polyclinic and MIPO Medical Center. The trial, which began on December 19, involves 3,000 volunteers and is being overseen by the Ministry of Healthcare.
According to Marat Shoranov, the ministry's spokesman, doctors, educators, law enforcement personnel, and other frontline workers will be among the first to receive the vaccine. The trial is a crucial step towards finding an effective solution to the ongoing pandemic.
The trial is not limited to a single vaccine. A preliminary agreement has been signed with Pfizer, and negotiations with other foreign vaccine manufacturers, including Chinese ones, are ongoing. However, the exact foreign vaccines under consideration and the status of Pfizer negotiations for Kazakhstan cannot be confirmed at this time, as there is no publicly available information from the provided sources.
In addition to the foreign vaccines, Kazakhstan's domestic vaccine, QazCovid-in, has completed the first and second phases of clinical trials. The start of the third phase, which showed high safety, immunogenicity, and 96% effectiveness, was approved in December.
Participants in the trial are required to be 18 years old or above, have no history of COVID-19, be free of chronic diseases, and not have allergic reactions. Those who volunteer for the trial can expect to receive approximately 160-170,000 tenge after tax for their participation.
Upon successful testing, the vaccines will be administered to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight and those whose work cannot be transitioned to remote formats. Vaccination will also be available to all citizens free of charge on a voluntary basis. Vaccinations are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2021, starting in February.
It's important to note that people with chronic diseases, including autoimmune ones, should refrain from vaccination, especially those with weakened immunity. The clinical bases for the third phase are in Almaty and Taraz. It's too early to talk about mass vaccination.
Tatyana Kim and Rashid Shukuraliev are the sources of this information. Further updates from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health or official government releases would be needed for precise current details.
Science plays a crucial role in addressing medical-conditions like COVID-19, with health-and-wellness of the nation at the forefront. The trial of the domestic vaccine, QazCovid-in, along with potential international vaccines, is underway to combat the pandemic, with the first phase participants consisting of frontline workers and those whose jobs cannot be done remotely.
