While a number of coronavirus vaccine candidates across the globe are successfully moving on with their human trials phase, the trials in the United States have been put on hold. Pharma giant AstraZeneca has confirmed that a patient in the United Kingdom has suffered from a rare neurological condition during the UK trial. After the incident, health experts have voice about the safety of the vaccines. Two of the volunteers in the United Kingdom have suffered a serious neurological illness.
The study has been paused twice so far and the second time was done earlier in September, 2020. AstraZeneca informed that the first volunteer in question had received one dose of the vaccine and after that he had developed an inflammation of the spinal cord and this condition is known as transverse myelitis. It is a rare condition and causes an inflammation on the spinal cord and some of the symptoms include a number of degrees of weakness, autonomic dysfunction and sensory alterations.
The company said that it had not confirmed about the diagnoses in the second case. However, people who are familiar with the matter have said that the condition of the second participant has also been said to be the transverse myelitis. Mark Slifka, the vaccine expert at the Oregon Health and Science University says that if there are two such cases, then that might not be a good sign for the company. If a third case pops up in this case, then that would result in an end of it.
After a short break, trials of the vaccine have resumed in Brazil, Britain and South Africa, but they continue to remain paused in the United States. Reports say that about 18,000 people have received the vaccine made by AstraZeneca. A number of other companies are also in the human trials stage for the coronavirus vaccine. The trials in the US continue to be stalled.
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