Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine: All of the Monkeys in the Trial Contracted the Disease
May 19th, 2020Via: Daily Mail:
The coronavirus vaccine being developed by scientists at Oxford University may not prevent people from becoming infected with the disease after all, experts have warned.
In the latest animal trials of the vaccine carried out on rhesus macaques, all six of the participating monkeys went on to catch the coronavirus.
Dr William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School professor, revealed the monkeys who received the vaccine had the same amount of virus in their noses as the three non-vaccinated monkeys in the trial.
This suggests the treatment, which has already received in the region of £90million in government investment, may not halt the spread of the deadly disease.
The bombshell comes after initial reports last week suggested the vaccine offered ‘some’ immunity against the virus, and stopped it getting deep into the lungs, where it becomes deadly.
The vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCov-19, is currently undergoing its first human clinical trial, as nations accelerate their efforts to tackle the deadly virus.
