Video number 35 of the channel talking about the news that AstraZeneca have had to put a pause on their clinical trial of the ChAdOx vaccine against SARS-CoV-2/COVID19. Yesterday, the company came out and announced the pause on the back of what is thought to be a case of transverse myelitis in a woman who received the vaccine candidate in the UK. Holds like this are not uncommon in clinical trials and do not spell doom for the candidate. Moving forward from here, an independent committee with investigate the case and determine whether it is linked to the vaccine, or something that spontaneously occurred and was just unfortunately in someone in the trial, but nothing to to do with it. It’s a great indication of why we need these large clinical trials and why we can’t rush approval for treatments and vaccines to what is convenient/desirable. I also talk a little further about the approval process.

Previous videos about this vaccine candidate:
Promising news for ChAdOx/Oxford SARS2 coronavirus vaccine -    • Promising news for ChAdOx/Oxford SARS...  
More on ChAdOx vaccine to SARS2 coronavirus to protect against COVID19 -    • More on ChAdOx vaccine to SARS2 coron...  
ChAdOx (Oxford) vaccine to SARS2 coronavirus/COVID19 - this looks promising -    • ChAdOx (Oxford) vaccine to SARS2 coro...  

Timestamps:
0:00:18 - Straight into talking about AstraZeneca having to put the trial on hold, the fact it isn’t uncommon and why it’s important that it’s been done
0:02:32 - A quick reminder of the AstraZeneca vaccine candidate and where it’s at in trials
0:04:14 - Details of the adverse event that has lead to the trial hold (and a previous hold case)
0:07:25 - Talking about the approval process for vaccines and discussing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (also talking about attempts to rush approvals and issues with that)

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And importantly through all this, stay safe, wash you hands, wear a mask, keep calm and carry on.