Brazilian authorities said Wednesday that a volunteer who participated in clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, prepared by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has died. “Research is safe and will continue,” announced the British university.
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A volunteer who participated in clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, prepared by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, died. The Brazilian health authority did not provide further details, citing medical confidentiality. “After careful investigation of this case in Brazil, we have no concerns about the safety of clinical trials. Both the Brazilian regulator and an independent commission have recommended continued testing,” the University of Oxford said in a statement.
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Coronavirus vaccine is sought in many countries Enric Fontcuberta / PAP / EPA
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The daily “About Globo” reported, citing anonymous sources, that the deceased participant did not receive a vaccine dose, but a placebo. This is also reported by the Bloomberg agency.
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The third phase of clinical trials on a vaccine developed by a British-Swedish company and a British university, which involves thousands of volunteers, was suspended in September, when a serious disease was detected in one of the participants. Since then, testing has resumed in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and India.
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Bolsonaro is betting on a vaccine from AstraZeneca
The Brazilian federal government plans to acquire the vaccine from AstraZeneca and produce it at a biomedical research center in Rio de Janeiro. The vaccine prepared by the company is one of the most promising projects among many preparations against COVID-19 being developed in the world.
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Also on Wednesday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced that the federal government would not buy 46 million doses of a vaccine developed by the Chinese Sinovac group and tested at the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo. On Tuesday, such a purchase was announced by the Federal Minister of Health Eduardo Pazuello.
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The Butantan Institute is managed by the government of the state of Sao Paulo, which is ruled by Joao Doria Sao Paulo Government / PAP / EPA
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Since the Butantan Institute is managed by the government of the state of Sao Paulo, which is ruled by Bolsonaro’s political opponent, Governor Joao Doria, there are suspicions that this decision may be political, not substantive, the Associated Press reports. The director of the institute, Dimas Covas, announced that the vaccine prepared by his institution will be produced and available even if it is not included in the federal government’s vaccination plan.
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Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 5.2 million people were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of which over 154,000 died.
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photo-source">Main photo source: Enric Fontcuberta / PAP / EPA
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