The Univeristy of Oxford, Oxford Vaccine Centre COVID-19, has issued a statement about rumours regarding their new vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
They said: “We are aware there have been and will be rumours and false reports about the progress of the trial. We urge people not to give these any credibility and not to circulate them. We will not be offering a running commentary about the trial but all official updates will appear on this site.”
The site being their website: https://covid19vaccinetrial.co.uk/
The last official news about the new vaccine was that the previous trials were successful and that a new trial, with 1102 humans, will be undertaken.
From their website: ”
The Oxford Vaccine Centre COVID-19 Phase I Clinical Trial Explained
What is the purpose of this research study?
The purpose of this study is to test a new vaccine against COVID-19 in healthy volunteers.
This study aims to assess whether healthy people can be protected from COVID-19 with this new vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. It will also provide valuable information on safety aspects of the vaccine and its ability to generate good immune responses against the virus.
What is the vaccine being tested?
ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a virus (ChAdOx1), which is a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees, that has been genetically changed so that it is impossible for it to grow in humans.
Genetic material has been added to the ChAdOx1 construct, that is used to make proteins from the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) called Spike glycoprotein (S). This protein is usually found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 and plays an essential role in the infection pathway of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses its spike protein to bind to ACE2 receptors on human cells to gain entry to the cells and cause an infection.
By vaccinating with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, we are hoping to make the body recognise and develop an immune response to the Spike protein that will help stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells and therefore prevent infection.
Vaccines made from the ChAdOx1 virus have been given to more than 320 people to date and have been shown to be safe and well tolerated, although they can cause temporary side effects, such as a temperature, headache or sore arm.
What does the study involve?
Up to 1102 participants will be recruited across multiple study sites in Oxford, Southampton, London and Bristol. These participants will be randomly allocated to receive either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a licensed vaccine (MenACWY) that will be used as a ‘control’ for comparison.
At the start of the trial we will also recruit a separate small group of 10 volunteers who will receive 2 doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 four weeks apart.
Read more on the website: https://covid19vaccinetrial.co.uk/
