COVID-19: UHS to conduct trials of Oxford University vaccine in Pakistan

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Punjab has collaborated with the United Kingdom (UK)'s renowned Oxford University to conduct trials for the latter's coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan.

According to UHS Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Akram, registration of volunteers for the COVID-19 vaccine trial has already begun and about 20,000 people will be registered in total.

He added that it could take two months for the vaccine to be tested in Pakistan, adding that permission would be sought from the Government of Pakistan upon confirmation of the vaccine being dispatched from the UK.

With surging cases of coronavirus, efforts are being made across the world to develop an effective vaccine against the deadly virus, but so far scientists have not been able to achieve complete success in this regard. 

Various drugs are being tested on humans and animals by different countries all over the world.

Read more: Coronavirus: First human trial of Oxford vaccine shows promise

Earlier on July 20, AstraZeneca and Oxford University's experimental vaccine produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials against coronavirus, preserving hopes it could be in use by the end of the year.

The vaccine, called AZD1222, has been described by the World Health Organisation's chief scientist as the leading candidate in a global race to halt a pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 people.

The vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford prompted no serious side effects and elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses, according to trial results published in The Lancet medical journal, with the strongest response seen in people who received two doses.