Could Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine, on trial in SA, really be the one?

Since June, South Africa has been collaborating with the University of Oxford, along with Britain and Brazil, in the global race to find a Covid-19 vaccine. Professor Glenda Gray, who is the CEO and president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), has also taken part in the trials, being screened and vaccinated herself. "If possible, we want to find more than one vaccine that works because it will make them more affordable and we can produce more doses." In a recent interview with BizNews, Dr Noluthando Nematswerani spoke about how important it is for South Africans to participate in clinical trials for the virus. "The fact that Professor Gray is willing to participate shows that she has confidence in the vaccines." Before the end of August, a second vaccine trial will be held followed by a third in September. – Claire Badenhorst

Covid-19 vaccine front-runner is months ahead of her competition

By Stephanie Baker*

In April, Sarah Gilbert's three children, 21-year-old triplets all studying biochemistry, decided to take part in a trial for an experimental Covid-19 vaccine.

It was their mother's vaccine—she leads the University of Oxford team that developed it—but there wasn't a big family talk. "We didn't really discuss it as I wasn't home much at the time," Gilbert told me recently. She'd been working around the clock, as one does while trying to end a pandemic, and at any rate wasn't worried for her kids. "We know the adverse event profile and we know the dose to use, because we've done this so many times before," she says. "Obviously we're doing safety testing, but we're not concerned."

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