South African researchers, in collaboration with Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, are trialling a vaccine for the COVID-19. Trials of this nature are important because they give robust data about the safety of vaccines. Being part of the trial will also mean that South Africa won’t lag behind should a vaccine prove to work. But how exactly does the trial work? Who receives the vaccine and the placebo? Are South African volunteers being used as “guinea pigs”?
In this episode of Pasha, Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, answers these questions and explains the benefits of the trial.
Photo: “Vaccine and syringe injection” By joel bubble ben Shutterstock
Music “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.
“Free Music Background Loop 001” by Slaking_97 found on Freesound licensed under Attribution License.