[ad_1]
South African volunteers in AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine experimental trial said they were not concerned to learn that the trial had been stopped after a participant fell ill and hoped to be part of a possible solution to the pandemic.
The vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization as probably the world’s leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development.
Some 2,000 volunteers in South Africa are taking part in the trial that was halted globally on Tuesday after an unexplained illness in one participant. An independent committee will review the safety data.
Khensani Nkuna, 27, started the trial in July. He said he had not yet been personally informed about the suspension, but added that the unexplained illness did not concern him as he had no symptoms.
“I don’t know what caused the disease,” he said.
Other participants shared their feelings.
“It doesn’t scare me, especially since my own experience has yet to see me suffer negative side effects,” said Robyn Porteous, 32.
“I fully understand and respect the need for extreme caution and strict process … so I appreciate the honesty of Oxford’s judgment on the matter,” he added.
Another participant, Aslam Dasoo, 58, who is a doctor and the convenor of a health advocacy group, said he was not worried because the break was routine.
“The race for a vaccine is unparalleled in history and amplifies emerging issues, like this, beyond what it would normally do in any conventional trial,” said Dasoo, who has lost people close to him to COVID-19. .
