Two COVID-19 vaccine trials enable body to fight off virus

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  There is increasing hope that the world may soon overcome the COVID-19 threat thanks to two vaccines that have shown they can protect the body against the disease. 

According to preliminary findings published in the science journal, two vaccines, one from Oxford University and the other from China neutralised the virus.

The findings from phase 2 trials of the vaccines show that when the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1nCOV-19)  and the Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine from China were injected, participants were able to help the body create more T-cells and antibodies that can suppress the COVID-19 virus.

1,077 participants took part in the Oxford trial, while 508 were recruited in the China Ad5-vector trial. Both studies show that over 80 per cent of the participants that received the vaccines were able to fight off the virus  within14-28 days.

Findings from the Oxford study show that 90 per cent of people developed neutralising antibodies after one dose. Only ten people were given two doses and all of them produced neutralising antibodies. In both studies, the most common side effect was headaches. 70 per cent of the people developed a fever or headaches and those who developed such side effects were given a painkiller.

The World Health Organisation welcomed the news from phase two trials. Dr Micheal Ryan, the executive director of Health Emergencies says bigger trials need to take place.]

“It’s good news. We welcome the trial findings and congratulate the vaccine developers. These are positive results. We need to move these findings to larger-scale studies,” he said.

While the findings from the trials are exciting, more studies need to be taken to determine whether the vaccine can either stop people from falling sick when infected by the virus or reduce the symptoms of the disease.

To determine this both studies will be heading to stage 3 trials where bigger numbers of participants will be recruited. For the Oxford vaccine, 10,000 participants will be recruited in the UK alone while over 15,000 participants will be picked from the United States, South Africa and Brazil.

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URN