In the UK, a team from the University of Oxford is very optimistic. The latter has developed a vaccine and has already successfully tested it on macaques. The researchers are already conducting a clinical trial which will involve several thousand people by the end of May.
The latest assessment of the Covid-19 pandemic reports nearly 3.2 million cases and around 230,000 deaths . However, most of the research in progress concerning the development of a vaccine should not be completed until 2021. And yet, an article from the New York Times published on April 27, 2020 indicates that such a vaccine could actually arrive by September!
Indeed, a team from the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford has already developed a vaccine against Covid-19. This has been the subject of very promising results on primates in a test performed by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) laboratory located in Montana (USA). Researchers exposed a group of rhesus macaques to Covid-19 and inoculated six of them with a single dose of the UK vaccine. A month later, the six vaccinated monkeys were healthy when all the others had developed the disease.
These successful tests on primates have made it possible to consider the clinical phase on humans. By the end of May 2020, no less than 6,000 people should therefore participate in this large clinical trial. For Dr. Vincent Munster, the originator of this vaccine, the main thing is not to declare victory too quickly. Indeed, the researchers are still analyzing the results of the tests on the primates. These will then be shared and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
However, nothing is certain. If the rhesus macaque is the closest species to Sapiens sapiens , there is no indication in advance that the vaccine will also work on humans. In any case, the results will come soon and, if successful, the clinical phase will begin. If the clinical trial goes well, the Jenner Institute could deliver the first doses of the vaccine as early as September. And there is already talk of millions of doses!
But how can this laboratory claim such a rapid outcome? In fact, several reasons can explain it. First, the Jenner Institute has already conducted similar tests on humans last year , regarding another coronavirus. These tests have proven to be safe for the volunteers. Then, it seems that the laboratory received the approval of the British authorities very quickly.
A few weeks ago we were talking about the pharmaceutical giant Johnson &Johnson, having already developed a vaccine. The fact is that we are talking about the production of a billion doses. However, this is a real gamble. Indeed, for the time being, no test has been performed on humans.
