The University of Oxford and AstroZeneca‘s Covid trials have ground to halt. The decision has been made as a result of a trial patient becoming suddenly ill after treatment.
Covid vaccine trials halted
AstroZeneca released statement on Tuesday night declaring that their trials will be on pause as they investigate whether the trial patient’s newly formed illness is a result of the vaccine. Only one person is confirmed to have had an adverse reaction from the vaccine trial so far and no details have been disclosed about the patient who fell ill or the nature of the illness.
This vaccine is not only being tested on subjects in the UK but also in the USA and, to a much smaller degree, South America.
On Monday Matt Hancock suggested that there was a possibility of the vaccine being available in early 2021 saying that the situation was “looking up” with regards to the vaccine being approved following successful trials in various countries. Oxford University says it might be 2022 when their vaccine is ready noting that safety is paramount to find an effective vaccine.
AstraZeneca say that the pause is normal procedure when a trial patient becomes ill. The announcement comes shortly after the government announced that only six people will now be allowed to meet following a surge in Covid cases these last few days. Previously, 30 people were allowed to meet in England.
In the USA, two others vaccines are in the final stages of development. Moderna Inc are operating independently while Pfizer have partnered with the German company BioNTech.
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