A 48-year-old doctor, who was administered the Oxford Covid-19 candidate vaccine on Wednesday, said he was inspired by immunology greats Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner to volunteer for the second phase of the trial in Pune.

The man, who was administered the vaccine candidate dose, said his vital signs were normal and he had resumed routine work.

“As I work in healthcare sector, I know vaccines have made a huge difference in the quality of human life. When I read the history of vaccination, I got inspired by pioneers Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner who performed the trials on themselves. They inspired me to volunteer,” he said.

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French chemist who proved that germs cause disease, and developed vaccines for anthrax and rabies.

Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was an English doctor and discoverer of vaccination for smallpox.

The volunteer said he had also volunteered 10 years ago for clinical trials for a vaccine against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

The phase-II clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India started at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital here on Wednesday, with two volunteers being administered the Covishield vaccine.

Hospital authorities said the identity of the volunteers couldn’t be revealed.

The doctor said his 21-year-old daughter had also volunteered during the trial of a vaccine on cervical cancer in 2014.

“My daughter, who is pursuing a BTech degree, has volunteered and become eligible for the (Covishield) trial as her reports of Covid-19 and antibody came negative,” he said.