WHO Says Vaccine Safety Top Priority As AstraZeneca Stops Study



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FILE PHOTO: A logo is displayed at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) ahead of a meeting of the Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 30, 2020. REUTERS / Denis Balibouse / File Photo

ZURICH – The safety of a possible vaccine for COVID-19 is “first and foremost,” the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said on Wednesday, when a trial of an AstraZeneca candidate was paused, at least temporarily, due to concerns about side effects.

“Just because we talk about speed … it does not mean that we start to compromise or take shortcuts in what would normally be evaluated,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan at a social media event. “The process still has to follow the rules of the game. For medicines and vaccines given to people, you must first check their safety. “

WHO officials did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about AstraZeneca’s decision to pause global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to unexplained illness in a study participant. .

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