More than 2.1 million corona infections and more than 81,000 deaths have been recorded in Brazil to date. The peak is still not in sight. Because the virus is so active, the country plays an important role in the development of a corona vaccine. Two of the most advanced vaccines are currently being tested.
The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca collaborates with the University of Oxford. In Brazil, 5,000 volunteers participate in the so-called Oxford vaccine test. “We started last month,” said Brazilian epidemiologist Lily Yin Weckx. She coordinates the Brazilian part of the test.
Earlier this week, the medical journal Lancet presented the first promising results. About 1,500 Brazilians have been vaccinated so far. “In the third and final phase, we will examine whether the vaccine actually offers protection against covid-19. To do this, you must have a place where the virus is very active.”
Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, has been hit hard. The state governor works with the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. Yesterday, 9,000 Brazilian volunteers were vaccinated for the first time with the vaccine the company is developing.
“A historic day,” said São Paulo Governor João Doria. He triumphantly showed the box of the vaccine in development to the convened press. “This morning, the first volunteer, a 27-year-old doctor, was the first to receive an injection. We can be proud,” said the governor.
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