The Brazilian health authority in Anvisa on Wednesday said that a volunteer has died in the clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
The regulator however confirmed that testing of the vaccine would continue even after the death of the volunteer, without providing any further details citing medical confidentiality of those involved in trials.
The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is coordinating the phase 3 trials in Brazil, in a separate statement confirmed that the deceased was a Brazilian but did not reveal the exact whereabouts of the person.
Also Read: AstraZeneca halts Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trials for safety
AstraZeneca’s shares fell by 1.7% on Wednesday afternoon after the news broke out.
However, if recent reports are to be believed, according to a person very familiar with the development who asked not to be identified said that the volunteer who died during a trial of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in Brazil hadn’t received the company’s shot.
Brazil has had the second deadliest outbreak of coronavirus, with more than 154,000 killed by the deadly virus, following only the United States. It is the third worst outbreak in terms of cases, with more than 5.2 million getting infected, after the United States and India.
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