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None of the 50 Belgian participants in a German study on a vaccine against the coronavirus showed “serious or unexpected” side effects after tests carried out by the company CureVac, with which the Ghent University Hospital joined forces for the Belgian section.
The Belgian part of the CureVac study started in mid-June. Fifty participants signed up and have since received a first dose of the candidate vaccine. “So far, our impressions are really good,” enthuses Professor Geert Leroux-Roels. “Different strengths were administered and overall the product is healthy. “
A small group of participants reported mild complaints like tiredness, fever, or headache. Researchers believe that these inconveniences may be a sign of a reaction of the immune system. However, these symptoms disappear after 24 hours.
While these results are encouraging, research to develop an effective vaccine is not yet over. “If all goes well, CureVac will communicate its first results in September,” said Leroux-Roels.
Trump interested in this vaccine
CureVac’s vaccine candidate has garnered a lot of attention in recent months, including that of United States President Donald Trump. In March, Angela Merkel’s government accused the US administration of wanting to acquire the product from the German laboratory in order to make it only available to its own citizens. The European Commission then joined in, offering financial support to the tune of 80 million euros to CureVac, in the form of a guarantee for a loan from the European Investment Bank under the Research on diseases component. infectious diseases of InnovFin (Horizon 2020).
Another vaccine candidate considered promising is also being tested in Ghent. The first doses of the product from Johnson & Johnson have been administered, confirmed Professor Geert Leroux-Roels. So far, the study has not found any problems among the young participating population, but volunteers aged 65 to 75 are lacking. The researchers say that clinical trials are taking place in a safe and controlled environment and are calling for applicants, within a radius of 20 kilometers around UZ Gent.
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