Sarah Gilbert, lead developer for the University of Oxford’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, has revealed that the vaccine may be available for production by the end of the year. Report indicates that the Oxford experimental vaccine, in collaboration with AstraZeneca produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials with no major side effect; according to data that was displayed on Monday.
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According to report from Reuters, Gilbert in her discussion with BBC Radio said, ‘’The end of the year target for getting vaccine rollout, it’s a possibility but there’s absolutely no certainty about that because we need three things to happen.” Sarah Gilbert pointed out that it needed to be shown to work at the late-stage trials, there needed to be large quantities manufactured and regulators had to agree quickly to license it for emergency use.
A statement published on Oxford University website on Monday, shows the results of the Phase I and II trial published in the scientific journal, The Lancet, indicating that there are no early safety concerns and the trial induces strong immune responses in both parts of the immune system. The trial provoked a T-cell response within 14 days of vaccination (white blood cells that can attack cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus), and an antibody response within 28 days (antibodies are able to neutralize the virus so that it cannot infect cells when initially contracted). This means that the side effects were not significant at all which is a good one. With the current development, the Oxford scientists are hoping that 1 million doses of the potential COVID-19 vaccine would be produced by September this year. Although the agreement had been reached with AstraZeneca for the manufacturing of the vaccine, the lower prevalence of the novel Corona Virus in Britain has complicated the process of proving its efficacy. Late-stage trials are currently going on in Brazil and South Africa and are due to start in the United States.
