The pharmaceutical firm conducting the late-stage trials of Oxford vaccine, says one of the participants in the UK fell ill and that its probing whether the unexplained illness is a side effect
Refugees and migrants with their kids gather on a bridge as fire burns makeshift tents at Moria camp in Greece on Wednesday. Pics/AP
Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by Oxford University, are on temporary hold while the firm investigates whether a recipient's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot. In a statement on Tuesday evening, the company said its "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data".
AstraZeneca didn't reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it "a potentially unexplained illness". Health news site STAT first reported the news, saying the possible side effect occurred in the UK. An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the US, Brazil and South Africa.
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India trials to go on
Commenting on the reports on AstraZeneca halting the trials, Serum Institute of India (SII), said, "We can't comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all."
Could be a coincidence
AstraZeneca pointed out that it's possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people. "We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline," the company statement said.
It's likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalisation and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different COVID-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing. "This is not something to be alarmed about."
Fire guts Europe's largest refugee camp
A major overnight fire swept through Europe's largest migrant camp, Moira in Greece, which had been placed under COVID-19 lockdown, burning through container housing and leaving thousands on Wednesday in emergency need of shelter on the island of Lesbos.
Migrants at the overcrowded Moria refugee camp fled fires that broke out at multiple points and were fanned by gale-force winds, gutting much of the camp. Protests also broke out involving migrants, riot police, and firefighters. There were no reports of injuries.
Aid agencies have long warned of dire living conditions at Moria, where over 12,500 have been living in and around a facility built to house just over 2,750. A state of emergency was declared on the island starting Wednesday for public health reasons and will be in effect for four months.
"It has been a very difficult night," Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, adding that no one from Moria would not be allowed to leave the island to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. The camp was put under lockdown after a Somali man was found positive. Later, 35 more tested positive and were quarantined in a separate facility.
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