Scientists at the University of Oxford in the UK announced, through a statement from its production partner AstraZeneca and also in a report published in The Lancet that, according to preliminary results, the university’s vaccine for COVID-19 is safe and induced an immune response, reported by LABS (Latin America Business Stories). The third phase of testing is taking place in Brazil, among other countries. The effect should be reinforced after a second dose of the vaccine, according to the scientists.
Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial at Oxford University and co-author of the trial, said, “The interim Phase I/II data for our coronavirus vaccine shows that the vaccine did not lead to any unexpected reactions and had a similar safety profile to previous vaccines of this type. The immune responses observed following vaccination are in line with what we expect will be associated with protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, although we must continue with our rigorous clinical trial program to confirm this. We saw the strongest immune response in participants who received two doses of the vaccine, indicating that this might be a good strategy for vaccination.”
In June the Brazilian government signed a $127 million agreement to start producing the vaccine in the country, in partnership with the Osvaldo Cruz Foundation (FioCruz). This is the second promising vaccine being tested in Brazil. Beginning immediately, volunteers from six Brazilian states will receive doses of the vaccine from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, called CoronaVac. In all, 9,000 people will participate in the testing in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District.