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LONDON
A coronavirus vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford has been shown to be partially successful in the study of six monkeys, local media reported Thursday.
Some of the monkeys that received a single injection of the vaccine developed antibodies to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in 14 days, and all had done so in 28 days.
They were then exposed to higher doses of the virus, and the vaccine appeared to protect the lungs from the virus, but not the nose.
The study results have not yet been rigorously reviewed by other scientists, but the signs are promising, though it should be noted that many vaccines that work in laboratory monkeys end up failing to protect humans.
Local media quoted Stephen Evans, a pharmacoepidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as saying: “It is one of the hurdles that the Oxford vaccine must overcome and has removed well.”
The new data was “definitely” good news, he said, adding that it was reassuring that there was no evidence of immune-enhanced disease. This is where the vaccine makes the virus worse, instead of protecting the person against it.
“This was a definitive theoretical concern for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine [the virus that causes COVID-19] and not finding evidence of it in this study is very encouraging, “he said.
Last month, the University of Oxford announced that it was partnering with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to create the vaccine.
At around the same time, British researchers began small-scale human trials of the vaccine. The researchers said that as of May 13, 1,000 people had been vaccinated, one of the few programs worldwide to achieve that level of progress.
More than 100 vaccines are currently being developed worldwide, with research focused on the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and China.
Scientists have said that it can often take up to 10 years to make a viable vaccine, but due to the severe impact the pandemic has had worldwide, an unprecedented global effort is being made to develop a vaccine for use as soon as may be possible. end of the year.
After originating in Wuhan, China, last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, with Europe and the United States being the most affected.
The pandemic has killed more than 302,400 people worldwide with more than 4.44 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have exceeded 1.58 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
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