True: Two potential coronavirus vaccines have triggered immune responses.

By: Devika Kandelwal
July 21 2020

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Potential vaccines from Oxford University and the Chinese company CanSino have triggered immune responses without dangerous side effects. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a viral vector vaccine created by the University of Oxford scientists and the Ad-nCov, a viral vector vaccine made by Chinese biotech company CanSino Biologics have both triggered immune system supportive T-cells in hundreds of people without any dangerous side effects. The vaccine in development by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus called ChAdOx1. Their Phase I/Phase II trial, reported on July 20 in the journal Lancet, found that the vaccine was safe, causing no severe side effects. It raised antibodies against the coronavirus as well as other immune defenses. The vaccine is now in Phase II/III trial in England, as well as Phase III trials in Brazil and South Africa. The project may deliver emergency vaccines by October. The Chinese company CanSino Biologics developed a vaccine based on an adenovirus called Ad5, in partnership with the Institute of Biology at the country’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences. In May, they published promising results from a Phase I safety trial, and in July, they reported that their Phase II trials demonstrated the vaccine produced a strong immune response. However, Andrew Pollard, an investigator with the Oxford team, said that this does not mean that the potential vaccine can prevent Covid-19 in practice. They only tell us that the vaccine is relatively well-tolerated and can invoke an immune response. More research is currently underway. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.