The race for a coronavirus cure has begun with the first UK patients who signed-up for he vaccine trials that will begin in Oxford.
These are the first human trials to prove that the vaccine works as a cure for the COVID-19 disease, that is caused by the coronavirus.
Initially, two volunteers were injected with the drug therapy, just the first of 800 or more people who will take part in the vaccine trials under the auspices of Oxford.
How will the trial be done?
Amongst the volunteers, half will get the COVID-19 vaccine, and the other half is the meningitis drug not for coronavirus.
This will be a double-blind trial by design, so the patients do not know what they are getting, but the doctors will know who gets what.
Elisa Granato, got the first shot with the initial testee, she told BBC,"I'm a scientist, so I wanted to try to support the scientific process wherever I can."
Development of the vaccine came under three months that was researched and designed at the Oxford University. According to Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, heads the pre-clinical research done on it.
She expressed that the vaccine will be effective, as she expressed confidence in the trials ahead.
Dr Gilbert added. "Of course, we have to test it and get data from humans. We have to demonstrate it works and stops people getting infected with coronavirus before using the vaccine in the wider population." Before mass production of the coronavirus cure.
Initially, Prof Gilbert said that it was an 80% chance and confident it will work, asked later she corrected herself, instead expressed optimism that It will pan out.
Explaining the vaccine, it is created from a "weakened version of the common cold (aka the adenovirus) sourced from chimps, but tweaked so it cannot grow in humans.
Signs that it is working according to scientists
One of the indicators that will point out success using the COVID-19 cure, is contrasting the number of the participants who will get infected by the coronavirus, several months before from the two arms during the vaccines trials.
It presents a predicament if cases fall faster in the UK, for lack of data to look at. Which was stressed by the scientists.
Prof Andrew Pollard, leader of the Oxford Vaccine Group said:" We're chasing the end of this current epidemic wave. If we don't catch that, we won't be able to tell whether the vaccine works in the next few months. But we do expect that there will be more cases in the future because this virus hasn't gone away."
Researchers doing the coronavirus cure trials prefer most local health care employees as part of the study, they have more chances to encounter the coronavirus, than any other profession. They stress that these trials are needed to get a new cure out faster.
Planned in coming months is a massive 5,000 volunteer group to start a bigger but with no age limits.
Most older people possess weaker immunity responses to vaccines, researchers are checking if they will need two doses of the vaccine.
Is it safe to use?
During the trials, the volunteers will be monitored and checked for adverse reaction to the vaccine.
Will it be available for everyone?
Prof Gilbert gave a simple answer, for this question, and he stressed, " It's not our role to dictate what will happen, we just have to try to get a vaccine that works and have enough of it and then it will be for others to decide."
Then Prof Pollard gave this statement," We've got to ensure we have enough doses to provide for those in greatest need, not just in the UK but also in developing countries."
Soon the first patients to be injected in the UK vaccine trial, and if this works more people will benefit from it.
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