Today, researchers at the University of Oxford will finally start human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in the UK.
Speaking at press conference yesterday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The vaccine from the Oxford project will be trialled in people from this Thursday.”
Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford: “Vaccines are being designed from scratch and progressed at an unprecedented rate. The upcoming trial will be critical for assessing the feasibility of vaccination against COVID-19 and could lead to early deployment.”
What is the coronavirus vaccine? The vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine vector (ChAdOx1) and was developed at Oxford’s Jenner Institute.
It was chosen as the most suitable vaccine for COVID-19 as it can generate a strong immune response from one dose, but is not a replicating virus.
This means that the vaccine won’t cause an ongoing infection in the vaccinated person, and also makes it safer to give to children, the elderly and anyone with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes.
Who is the vaccine being tested on? The trial will be split into three main phases. Phase 1 will involve 510 healthy participants, aged 18 to 55, who will either receive the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a control injection for comparison.
If Phase 1 goes well, Phase 2 will then extend the maximum age of trial participants to 55-70 years, then over 70. Finally, Phase 3 will see 5,000 volunteers aged over 18 years tested, with half receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
The researchers explained: “Clear efficacy endpoints will be used to assess the effectiveness of the vaccine, and volunteers from phase I and II will be included in the follow-up.”
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