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A woman who became one of the first humans in Europe to receive a possible coronavirus vaccine says she is “fine” despite rumors that she was dead.
Oxford University microbiologist Dr. Elisa Granato was one of two people who were injected on Thursday when human trials began just three months after the studies began.
More than 800 people have been recruited for the trial, which would break records if claims are met that it could deliver a marketable product by September.
Dr. Granato told the BBC after being injected on her 32nd birthday: “I am a scientist, so I wanted to try to support the scientific process whenever I can.
“Since I don’t study viruses, I feel a little useless these days, so I felt this is a very easy way to support the cause.”
Cancer researcher Edward O’Neill was also injected on Thursday.
(Image: PA)
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But rumors began circulating today that the efforts had been hit by a tragic setback.
An online article, soon debunked as false news, claimed that the zoology expert had died hours after receiving the injection after experiencing complications.
He falsely claimed that he had pre-existing medical conditions that had not been disclosed to the doctors performing the tests and that four others were “battling complications.”
The dissemination of the article forced Dr. Granato to take Twitter to inform her 6,000 followers that she was very much alive.
She said, “Nothing like waking up to a fake article about his death … It suits me all. Please don’t share the article in question, we don’t want to pay attention / clicks. Have a cute cat in its place!
Mirror Online has reached out to Dr. Granato for comment.
(Image: UNPIXS (Europe))
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A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Assistance later tweeted: “The news circulating on social media that the first volunteer in a UK coronavirus vaccine trial has died is completely untrue.”
Of those chosen for the Oxford trial, half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine and the other half will receive a control vaccine that protects against meningitis, but not coronavirus.
The trial design means that patients will not know which vaccine they received, but doctors do.
Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccination at the Jenner Institute, led the pre-trial research and said she was 80% sure the vaccine would be effective.
She said, “Personally, I have a high degree of confidence in this vaccine.
“Of course, we have to test it and get human data.
“We have to demonstrate that it really works and prevents people from becoming infected with the coronavirus before using the vaccine in the general population.”
The vaccine is made from a weakened version of the common cold virus taken from chimpanzees and has been adapted so that it cannot grow in humans.
(Image: PA)
After being injected into the patient, it enters cells that begin to make coronavirus proteins.
This kicks off the immune system, causing it to make antibodies to activate killer T cells that destroy the infection.
If a patient encounters the coronavirus again, the same antibodies and T cells are activated to attack and kill the virus.
In the coming months, the two groups will be compared to see if the test has been successful.
Professor Andrew Pollard, at the forefront of the trial, said: “We are chasing the end of this epidemic wave.
“If we don’t catch him, we won’t be able to tell if the vaccine works in the coming months.”
“But we hope there will be more cases in the future because this virus has not disappeared.”
The team working on the vaccine has successfully developed a vaccine against Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) that killed more than 400 people in 2012.
To date, the coronavirus has killed more than 200,000 worldwide and infected nearly 3 million.
A larger test of around 5,000 people is expected to launch in the coming months.
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