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The vaccine was chosen as the most appropriate vaccine technology for the virus, since it can generate a strong immune response in one dose, the team said.
When asked how they managed to get through the generally lengthy vaccine approval process so quickly, Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the study, said it was her ongoing research into disease X, a still-unknown infectious agent, marked as a potential pandemic in creation, allowing Covid-19 to spin so quickly.
“Last year, my team was already working on Lassa fever vaccines, Mers, which is another vaccine against coronavirus, and also disease X,” said Professor Gilbert.
“Obviously we didn’t know what type of pathogen Disease X was going to be, but we were making plans in case it did show up and we needed to respond.”
The particular type of technology the team is testing has also accelerated the process.
“The ChAdOx vaccine is a technology called a platform, which can be used to make vaccines against many different diseases.”
“We understand technology very well, and the ethical and regulatory bodies are also very familiar with it … and that allows us to move faster when necessary.”
Earlier this month, Microsoft billionaire founder and philanthropist Bill Gates made an urgent appeal for world leaders to come together and begin planning how the vaccines will be manufactured and distributed now, to avoid a life-threatening delay in delivery of treatment later.
“We are not sure which vaccines will be the most effective yet, and each requires a unique technology for its manufacture,” he said.
“That means nations need to invest in many different types of manufacturing facilities now, knowing that some will never be used. Otherwise, we will waste months after the lab develops an immunization, waiting for the right manufacturer to expand. “
