Wits/Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Trial - Post #1
22 July 2020
I thought it might interest you to know a bit more about the Wits/Oxford vaccine trial.
Phone number for Wits Hillbrow clinic: +27 (64) 8500744
Information:
- https://www.wits.ac.za/covid19/covid19-news/latest/covid-19-vaccine-trial-in-south-africa-everything-you-need-to-know.html
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200721-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-what-its-like-to-participate
- https://www.wits.ac.za/covid19vaccine/frequently-asked-questions/
- https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-brain-damage/a-54111054 --this article is the one which persuaded me.
The clinic is located at 7 Esselen Street Hillbrow. Image attached so you can find the building, it is pretty hard to find.
Google maps: R25V+GR Johannesburg
I went this morning.
Other clinics:
Soweto
072 055 1249
Pretoria
074 800 7772
They do a pre-trial screening visit and a trial injection visit.
The pre-screening is to determine if you are eligibile. It is a medical screening. It takes over an hour. They take the usual medical samples including two blood samples for HIV and Hep-B. If you have HIV or Hep-B you aren't eligible. I understand diabetics are also not eligible for the trial. Also, obviously, if you already have had or have Covid-19, you are not eligible. They ask if you have any regular medications as some may interfere with the trial. You need to be not too overweight as well (BMI). They do all these measurements and advise you.
The trial itself is performed in four cohorts. They are currently enrolling for the first cohort, which is a more rigorous trial schedule. You have to report to the clinic every two weeks, and, as I understand it at 56 days they give you another shot as a booster.
Each of the cohorts will have an Experiment group and a Control group. If you are in the Experiment group you get a live vaccine (cold virus with Covid-19 spikes attached). If you are in the Control group you get a placebo. The researchers at Wits do not know which they are injecting, as it is a double-blind study. They are simply allocated a vial by a computer and inject it.
The theory is that the immune response to the Covid-19 spikes on the cold virus (the vector) will generate T-cells and/or Antibodies responses. So far in the UK they trialled on 7000 people and it looks promising. They're trialling in other countries to ensure international validity. I understand Russia has signed up as well.
If you engage in the trial it means that you have to report in every two weeks (in person), for several months (unfortunately I can't recall right now how many months).
