The second phase of the trial of the coronavirus vaccine, which is considered the “frontrunner” in the fight against COVID-19, started today.
The first phase of the trial at Oxford University started in April and included 1,000 adult volunteers.
In the meantime, more than 10,000 volunteers – including those over 70 and between 5 and 12 years old – have been accepted into the second phase of the study.
Professor Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: “Clinical trials are progressing very well and we are now beginning studies to assess how well the vaccine induces immune responses in older adults and to test whether it is protective in adults Vaccine supply can provide wider population.
“We are very grateful for the tremendous support of the volunteers in testing whether this new vaccine can protect humans against the pandemic coronavirus.”
Here’s everything you need to know about phase 2 of the vaccine trial, including the people and what they mean to you.
In phase 2 of the study, the age range of those who will be tested for the vaccine will be extended to a small number of older adults and children.
The volunteers now include:
– 56-69 years old
– Over 70 years old
– Between the ages of 5-12 years
The scientists will now study the immune response to the vaccine in people of different ages.
In this way, they can understand whether there are differences in how well the immune system reacts in the elderly or children.
Participants are randomized to receive one or two doses of the coronavirus vaccine or a licensed vaccine (MenACWY), which is used as a “control” for comparison.
The researchers said: “The MenACWY vaccine is used in this study as an” active control “vaccine to understand participants’ response to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
“The reason we use this vaccine instead of saline is that we expect the ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 vaccine to have minor side effects such as arm pain, headache, and fever. Saline does not cause any of these side effects.
“If participants only received this vaccine or a saline solution and developed side effects, they would be aware that they had received the new vaccine.
“For this study, it is critical that participants remain blind to whether or not they have received the vaccine, as if they knew this could affect their community health behavior after vaccination and lead to bias in the results of the vaccine. Study . ”
The vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from the ChAdOx1 virus, a weakened version of a cold virus that causes chimpanzee infections and has been genetically engineered to grow in humans.
The researchers said: “By vaccinating with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, we hope that the body will recognize and develop an immune response to the spike protein that helps prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells and thus preventing infection. ”
Phase 3 of the study will examine how the vaccine works in a large number of people over the age of 18.
This group can be used to assess how well the vaccine works to prevent people from being infected with COVID-19.
Unfortunately, it remains unclear when the results of the study will be available.
The researchers said: “How quickly we get the numbers we need depends on the level of virus transmission in the community.
“If the transmission remains high, we may receive enough data in a few months to determine if the vaccine is working. However, if the transfer rates decrease, this can take up to 6 months.
“The recruitment of people who are more likely to be exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus is prioritized, e.g. B. Frontline healthcare workers, frontline support workers, and public key workers to collect efficacy data as soon as possible. ”
A vaccine provides some protection against the virus by training your immune system to fight it.
This would make it possible to lift the block more securely and to loosen social distance.
If the trial is successful, it won’t be long before the vaccine is available in the UK.
AstraZeneca has announced it will be able to produce one billion doses of Oxford University’s potential Covid-19 vaccine and will begin shipping in September.
The pharmaceutical company announced that it had signed the first agreements for at least 400 million doses of the vaccine.
It said it plans to do more business to expand capacity over the next few months to “ensure delivery of a vaccine that is available worldwide.”
Health Minister Matt Hancock said Monday that if Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate proves successful, up to 30 million doses could be available to the UK by September.
AstraZeneca announced that it has now signed a license agreement with Oxford University for the “recombinant adenovirus vaccine”, now known as AZD1222.
–
