South Africa: 12,000 residents to participate in two new COVID-19 vaccine trials

South Africa, which is nearing six lakh COVID-19 cases, has anunced that it would be participating in two more vaccine trials. Both trials are undertaken by two leing pharma companies-Johnsons & Johnsons and vavax, are set to begin next month. Revealing furr details, Dr Glends Gray, president and CEO of South African Medical research revealed over 12,000 African would be participating in J&J’s 26.COV2-S and vavax’s NVX CoV2373 vaccine trial.

First vaccine trial

Vaccine trials in country started in June this year after Oxford University initiated Ox1Cov-19 vaccine VIDA trial in country. It was led by Dr Shabir Mhi, an ace professor in Vaccilogy. All new trials are a part of 26 vaccine trials which are identified by WHO as most viable vaccine candidates to have clinical trials amongst 139 that are being tested in labs or on animals.

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12,000 volunteers

For trial,12,000 volunteers would be vaccinated at 30 sites across country. Along with African residents, 60,000 people in US, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru would also participate in trials. As for African candidates, efficiency and safety of candidate vaccine would be tested in healthy ults d 18 and older.

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While HIV patients would be included in trial, a pregnant woman won’t be. “Initially, we won't include people with comorbidities (such as diabetes), but as we get more data, y will be included," Dr Gray said. She also said that it would take longer than a year to get results, ding that most of vaccines nearly four years to get approvals.

 "We kw a lot about this pathogen alrey and its use in making vaccines. 26 backbone has been used for Ebola, Zika and HIV. So we kw what it looks like," Gray ded.

With inputs from PTI    

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