A Brazilian volunteer in the clinical trial of a possible COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died. However, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) announced the trial will continue.
“Following careful assessment of this case in Brazil, there have been no concerns about the safety of the clinical trial, and the independent review in addition to the Brazilian regulator have recommended that the trial should continue,” said Oxford in a statement.
It is not certain whether the volunteer received the vaccine or the placebo, and no further details of the volunteers have been provided due to medical confidentiality, reports Al Jazeera.
According to CNN Brazil, however, the volunteer was a 28-year-old man from Rio de Janeiro who died from COVID-19 complications.
While the trial will continue in Brazil, the United States suspended trials in September after a patient-reported serious illness. They await a review from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
AstraZeneca trials also continue in South Africa, India, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
According to the World Health Organisation, there are 44 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 154 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation.
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