The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed developments in COVID-19 vaccine trials, singling out an Oxford University group while noting that the next move will have to be larger-scale real-world trials. The Lancet medical journal, reporting that Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine is safe and produces a positive immune reaction. The early-stage human trials involved around 1,077 people with the results showing that the participants produced antibodies and white blood cells that can fight the virus.
Meanwhile in South Africa over 400 participants have so far been enrolled in South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trial.
The first potential vaccines were administered to some of the volunteers in the randomised trial a month ago. Others received a placebo. Local scientists hope to have a COVID-19 vaccine that provides protection against the disease, available by the first quarter of next year. Wits University has collaborated with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African COVID-19 randomised vaccine trial. The aim is to have 2,000 participants enrolled in the Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial.
To help us unpack all these we are joined by:
• Professor Shabir Madhi, Wits University, Principal Investigator of the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA
• Professor Jeffrey Mpahlele Medical Research Council –
