Bharat Biotech has initiated human clinical trials for Covaxin, a vaccine candidate for COVID-19, across the nation with 375 volunteers, amid the surging numbers of coronavirus cases.

India's COVID-19 caseload jumped to 10,38,716 with 34,884 people testing positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, based on information published by the Union Health Ministry on July 18.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had permitted two vaccines -- one developed from the Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and a different one by ZydusCadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for the second and first phase of human clinical trials.

<strong>Here are all the developments about COVID-19 vaccine:</strong>

&gt; The individual trial of Covaxin started at Rohtak's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences on July 17, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said.

&gt; Drug firm Zydus Cadila is looking to complete clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D in seven weeks, according to the organization's chairman. The organization had on Wednesday began clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the first human dosing.

DBT's Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, has established that a hamster infection model for analysis of antivirals, therapeutics and vaccines, it said.

&gt; India and the US are working together on combating the coronavirus and cooperation is underway for co-development of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Indian envoy has said, underlining that the partnership between the two countries in health, life sciences and technology sectors can bring benefits to the whole world.