The Oxford Vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is one of the 23 vaccines being tested around the world. The aim of these tests is to make sure these vaccines work with no side effects, however, it will take time to prove it since it requires testing the vaccine with many people. The Oxford Vaccine was developed by a team of scientists at Oxford University along with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. It’s one of the most promising vaccines, compared to the other ones that are also being developed and tested around the world. Around 18,000 people have received the Oxford vaccine so far in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. In addition, 30,000 volunteers are being recruited in the U.S.
Although this vaccine was having good results, it was stopped due to a woman volunteer from the U.K. She presented neurological symptoms called transverse myelitis which is a rare inflammation of the spinal cord. AstraZeneca didn't reveal any information about the possible side effect, it only stated that it was “a potentially unexplained illness.” but for safety reasons, the testing had to be stopped. The symptoms this woman presented could also be a coincidence and maybe the vaccine didn’t cause it. AstraZeneca announced that “It had voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee to take place.”
The study of the Oxford Vaccine was also stopped in July 2020 for several days due to a participant presenting neurological symptoms, however, it turned out to be an undiagnosed case of multiple sclerosis that was completely unrelated to the vaccine.
On September 12, 2020, Oxford University announced the trials were resumed in the U.K after an independent review committee decided that it is safe to continue the trials with some recommendations. Oxford University said that they are “committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our studies and will continue to monitor safety closely.”
In order to control this global COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to have an effective vaccine available for everyone and I think that the Oxford vaccine is a key element that will help us overcome this pandemic. I hope that this vaccine will be effective and mass-produced for all the countries around the world at affordable prices because I’m sure that when the vaccine is ready, it will make a huge positive impact that will help towards ending this pandemic.
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