The University of Oxford in the UK Has Begun Human Trials for a Covid-19 Vaccine Which They Estimate Could Be Ready by September

HUNDREDS of citizens have come forward to volunteer and be a part of this coronavirus study which began on April 23 and is conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford.

Investigators at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom began their human trails last Thursday in order to find a vaccine which will defeat the Covid-19 virus which has engulfed almost the entire globe. They hope this vaccine could be ready for use in September.

As reported by the prestigious university centre, hundreds of citizens volunteered to be a part of the study which began last Thursday on April 23 when they administered the first dose of coronavirus to a healthy person. Another individual will be given a meningitis vaccine, which is used in the clinical trial as a comparison method.

Scientist at the Oxford Vaccine Group expected to increase the number of participants involved on Monday. Experts agree that the only way for a large number of countries who have implemented quarantine measures to return to a full sense of normality is to find a vaccine against the coronavirus and one which can be mass produced.

The Oxford research team calculates to have at least a million doses of the vaccine they have created in September, whilst the Imperial College in London hopes to do the same with another vaccine it is studying.

The British government has made £20 million (€22.60 million) available to the Oxford team and a further £22 million (€24.90 million) for the Imperial College project.

In total, the clinical trial led by Oxford estimates there will be 1,102 participants in different laboratories in the cities of Southampton, London and Bristol.

Lydia Guthrie is one of the volunteers who will be a part of the trial. “I think when I saw the ad in which they were looking for participants it seemed like a small contribution I could make to the team of more than 500 participants, scientists and doctors working together to develop a vaccine,” she told the BBC.

She added that she is aware of the potential risk she is assuming, and that specialists have detailed it, but that she is hopeful that the trial will give positive results.

However, others are not so optimistic, such as the Medical Adviser for the British government, Chris Whitty, who has said the prospect of the Oxford University team translating this study into an effective and safe vaccine that can be distributed this year is “incredibly small.”

Whitty also added that it would be “completely illusory” to think that the restrictions will be lifted in the next few days, since the rate of deaths and contagious remains high in the United Kingdom.

Written by

Laura Kemp

Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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