Oxford University is currently conducting the largest COVID-19 vaccine trial. By the middle of next month, more than 500 volunteers will actively participate in the test.
It includes representative samples between the ages of 18 and 55 for large-scale randomized early and mid-term clinical trials of its potential vaccine, which uses a harmless, modified virus to elicit an immune response, and this The immune response is also effective against new coronaviruses.
The trial will divide a total of 510 subjects into five groups, one of which will receive a subsequent booster injection after the original vaccination.
The technology behind the vaccine has been used to develop about 10 other treatments, but a method will be needed, which includes the establishment of different test groups in different countries to ensure representative results, because in different countries, The rate of infection varies greatly between different preventive measures.
The team behind the vaccine is still seeking additional funding to help scale production, because its goal is to prove that the potential vaccine is effective, and mass production begins six months after human trials.
The target number of the final phase of the trial is 5,000 people, and it is possible to provide some doses for first-line medical staff before September.
The Oxford trial is one of the few vaccine tests that have entered human trials, but more vaccine trials are constantly being launched.
Moderna's and Inovio's existing clinical human trials are being conducted in the United States. These companies also said they plan to put the vaccine into emergency use sooner after the initial clinical results come out.
Even if some of the candidate vaccines prove to be effective and have a certain supply before autumn, this does not mean that they will be widely used.
This still requires further testing and expansion of production scale, as well as distribution and management, all processes will add months of work. However, the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 epidemic has led to a significant increase in the efficiency of the development process.
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