Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Will Still Continue Despite Volunteer’s Death In Brazil

By Ammar Haziq  •  22 Oct 2020 in News

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A volunteer for a Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial that was developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical firm, AstraZeneca, was confirmed dead in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil yesterday. For now, it is still unclear whether the volunteer received the vaccine or a placebo.

Organisers of the research informed that after an independent evaluation was concluded, there were no problems involving safety and testing of the vaccine and that the tests will continue, Reuters reported.

It was reported that the 28-year old male volunteer lived in Rio De Janeiro and died due to Covid-19 complications.

“Following careful assessment of this case in Brazil, there have been no concerns about the safety of the clinical trial, and the independent review in addition to the Brazilian regulator have recommended that the trial should continue,” the statement said.

Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) confirmed that they had been officially informed of the case on 19 October.

Last September, Oxford University and AstraZeneca had to halt their Covid-19 vaccine trials after a volunteer in Britain suffered a serious illness. The tests resumed after British authorities and an independent assessment reportedly concluded that the disease was not a side effect of the vaccine.

The Federal University of Sao Paolo, which is assisting the phase 3 clinical trials in Brazil, said an independent review committee had also recommended that the trial continue.

According to Al Jazeera, more than 155,000 people in Brazil have died due to Covid-19, which is the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States. Brazil also recorded nearly 5.3 million cases, the third-highest in the world after the US and India.