A general view of AstraZeneca offices and the corporate logo in Cambridge, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. An Oxford University vaccine progress paper is to be published the the Lancet on Monday. Human trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by scientists are reported to have shown promising results. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca reached an agreement with Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA) to supply up to 400 million doses of the University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine – at no profit – with deliveries starting by the end of 2020.
The initial trial data for the COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed in a joint collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca will be released today. The data has been widely awaited as the world looks forward to some good news on the front of a vaccine that could shield people from the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has already infected over 14 million people worldwide and killed over 6 lakh.
The vaccine in question is currently in the third phase of its human trials that are being carried out in Brazil. If reports are to be believed, the vaccine has shown great results in the early stages and leads the way as beacon of hope in fight against coronavirus.
The results for the initial human trials will be published in a journal. "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 about the vaccine so far
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."
