Despite days of deliberations, the ethics committee is yet to greenlight the Oxford vaccine trial that is to be conducted at two civic-run hospitals. What appears to be holding up the final approval is clarity from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on medical insurance for participants, with the committee having been waiting for the council's response for a few days.

The ethics committee, headed by Dr Padma Menon of KEM Hospital, met on August 20 and had further discussions over the next couple of days. A senior civic official said that while medical insurance has to be arranged, the amount needs to be determined.