Find out how to volunteer for Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Testing in Natal | Rio Grande do Norte

In addition to Natal, new test centers will open in the coming weeks in Porto Alegre and Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul. All three join the centers in São Paulo, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. With this, the University of Oxford doubles the number of volunteers to test the vaccine in Brazil, from 5,000 to 10,000 people.

“The increase in the number of volunteers increases the possibilities of demonstrating the effectiveness of the vaccine more quickly and, consequently, of bringing it more quickly to the population”, explains the national coordinator of clinical studies and representative of the University of Oxford in Brazil . Sue Ann Costa Clemens.

Clinical research on the Oxford vaccine began in Brazil in June. Half of the volunteers receive Chadox1 ncov-19, against Covid-19, and the other half receive ACWY meningococcus, the so-called control vaccine, an immunizer against meningitis and a placebo. A system randomly defines who will receive which vaccine. Each participant receives two doses and is accompanied by the study team frequently, over the course of a year.

The Oxford vaccine was the first to start the so-called phase 3 clinical trials in Brazil. This is the final step in the approval and registration of an immunizer. Worldwide, the study has already vaccinated more than 18,000 people. The research began in the UK and is also taking place in South Africa and the United States.