Oxford to release COVID-19 vaccine trial data tomorrow. Here's what we know so far
The esteemed Oxford University, which is working on the COVID-19 vaccine developed jointly by the university and AstraZeneca, will be releasing the data for the early stages of the human trials tomorrow. The Oxford university vaccine candidate is currently in the third phase of human trials that are being carried out in Brazil.
"We expect this paper, which is undergoing final editing and preparation, to be published on Monday, July 20, for immediate release," the Spokesperson of the journal was quoted as saying by Reuters.
What we know so far
Developers of the Oxford vaccine, known as AZD1222, said earlier this month they were encouraged by the immune response they had seen in trials so far and we're expecting to publish Phase 1 data by the end of July.
Double Protection Against COVID-19: Encouraging media reports have emerged claiming that the Oxford University vaccine has made great inroads in finding protection against COVID-19. AstraZeneca-backed vaccine candidates might be able to provide ‘double protection’ against the highly infectious coronavirus.
Production of T-cells: The vaccine in question will likely trigger the production of both the protective antibodies and 'killer T-cells' in the body. This has reinstated hope that the vaccine might be able to provide much-needed immunity against coronavirus.
Vaccine available by September?: One of the most positive pieces of news that has come out in the recent gloom surrounding COVID-19 is the fact that the Oxford University breakthrough could be able to provide a fully functional COVID-19 vaccine by September. As per a report published in PTI, David Carpenter, chairman, Berkshire Research Ethics Committee (which approved the Oxford trials) said that "that vaccine could be fairly widely available around September and that is the sort of target they are working on."
Results to be declared on Monday: Little has been shared with the public by the researchers about what the vaccine actually achieved in the early stages of the trials. This data will be published on Monday.
