A participant in AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford's Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine trial has suffered a "serious adverse reaction," prompting the Operation Warp Speed experiment to come to an immediate halt.
Dozens of testing sites around the world are no longer injecting human subjects with the chemical solution after this individual reportedly fell seriously ill due to the jab, which AstraZeneca is now calling an "unexplained illness."
A frontrunner in the race to unveil a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, AstraZeneca issued a statement claiming that the trial's suspension is "standard," allowing for a "review of safety data."
This is "a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials," a spokesperson from the company indicated, withholding any further details about the participant's illness.
AstraZeneca is "working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline," this person added, suggesting that the injured participant, from the United Kingdom, is expected to fully recover.
So as not to scare the public into avoiding its vaccine once it gets publicly released, AstraZeneca claims that the trial could safely continue, but that it is currently on hold due to "an abundance of caution."
Another individual familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity, however, has come forward to suggest that this serious adverse reaction incident is having a ripple effect on other AstraZeneca vaccine trials, as well as on clinical trials currently being conducted by other vaccine manufacturers.
Nothing to see here because all vaccines are safe and effective, right?
While it remains unclear how long AstraZeneca's trial will be shut down, the company insists that the injury incident is no big deal and that everything will soon be back to normal.
Since the trial had been in Phase III just prior to being halted, it appears as though it will not be long before the vaccine being tested receives commercial approval, especially since Donald Trump is aiming to have Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines ready for mass distribution just prior to the election.
After all, this is merely a hiccup that will quickly be swept under the rug and forgotten, seeing as how all vaccines are safe and effective, we are told. Even if this one does not turn out to be quite as safe and effective as claimed, AstraZeneca will still maintain total immunity from all liability regardless, which means it is almost certainly a shoe-in candidate for emergency FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval.
"There are a number of different reactions that can qualify as suspected serious adverse reactions, symptoms that require hospitalization, life-threatening illness and even death," STAT further reports. "It was also not immediately clear which clinical trial the adverse reaction occurred in, though a clear possibility is the Phase 2/3 trial underway in the U.K."
The vaccine in question, known as AZD1222, reportedly contains an adenovirus that carries a gene for one of the proteins supposedly found in the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). This adenovirus is said to induce an immune system response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), creating some type of immunity.
To ensure that the company bears no responsibility for this serious adverse reaction, AstraZeneca announced that illnesses in large clinical trial often "happen by chance," the inference being that the vaccine had nothing to do with injuring the trial participant.
We are "committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials," the company added.
You can keep up with the latest news about the 'warp speed' push to unveil a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine as soon as possible by visiting Pandemic.news.
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