University of Oxford - The African Mirror

Feb

2021

Vaccine response among children tested

THE University of Oxford has launched a study to assess the safety and immune response of the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed with AstraZeneca Plc in children for the first time, it said on Saturday. The new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective on people between the ages of 6 and 17, according to an emailed statement from the university. Around 300 volunteers will be enrolled and first inoculations are expected this month, Oxford said. The two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been hailed as a 'vaccine for the world' because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Shot can stop severe disease from variant

COVID-19

BRITISH drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Saturday it believed its COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford could protect against severe disease caused by the South African variant of the virus. AstraZeneca confirmed that early data from a small trial, first reported by the Financial Times, had shown limited efficacy for the vaccine against mild disease primarily due to this variant. "We do believe our vaccine could protect against severe disease, as neutralising antibody activity is equivalent to that of other COVID-19 vaccines that have demonstrated activity against more severe disease, particularly when the dosing interval is optimised to 8-12…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

What can be done to better support women pursuing their PhDs in Africa

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

ANNE M. KHISA, PhD, Post- Doctoral Research Fellow, African Population and Health Research Center A Doctor of Philosophy – commonly known as a PhD – is the highest level of academic training. It allows the degree holder to teach the chosen subject at university, conduct research or practise in the specialised area. However, in many African countries like Kenya, there are gender gaps when it comes to women enrolling in, and completing, their PhD studies. This subsequently affects their recruitment into university teaching and research positions. Women make up just 30% of Africa’s researchers. There are various reasons for this.…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Over a million doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine possible by September – researcher

NEWS

EARLY estimates of the production of a million doses of the University of Oxford's experimental COVID-19 vaccine by September could be an underestimate depending on how quickly late-stage trials can be completed, a researcher has said. "There might be a million doses manufactured by September: that now seems like a remarkable underestimate, given the scale of what's going on," Adrian Hill of the University of Oxford said, referring to the manufacturing capability of partner AstraZeneca. "Certainly there'll be a million doses around in September. What's less predictable than the manufacturing scale-up is the incidence of disease, so when there'll be…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

First human trial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shows promise

COVID-19

ASTRAZENECA's experimental COVID-19 vaccine was safe and produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials in healthy volunteers, data has shown, with the strongest response seen in people who received two doses. The vaccine, called AZD1222 and being developed by AstraZeneca and scientists at Britain's University of Oxford, did not prompt any serious side effects and elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses, according to trial results published in The Lancet medical journal. "There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the COVID-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise," vaccine…