LONDON: The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University does not stop the virus in monkeys and may only be partially effective, experts have warned.
The inoculation, which received an additional £65 million ($79.5 million) in funding on Monday and was tipped as a “frontrunner” by the UK government, did not prevent monkeys from being infected by the virus.
“There was no difference in the amount of viral RNA detected from this site in the vaccinated monkeys as compared to the unvaccinated animals. Which is to say, all vaccinated animals were infected,” said Dr. William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School professor who had a pivotal role in the development of early HIV/Aids treatments.
Human trials of the COVID-19 vaccine are ongoing, but the latest findings cast serious doubt over their future.
Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said the findings “warrant an urgent re-appraisal of the ongoing human trials.”
Despite the setback, the monkey trials did show that the vaccine prevented the emergence of pneumonia, a major health threat to humans caused by coronavirus.
This means that the animal tests had failed to build sterilizing immunity, but could still prove valuable in mitigating the harm caused by the virus.
The vaccine employed worldwide against polio uses this strategy: It does not stop infection, but prevents it developing into a disease harmful to humans.
Oxford University’s results stand in stark contrast to a different type of vaccine being developed by Chinese research firm Sinovac Biotech, which did appear to stop the development of COVID-19 in monkeys.
“If this became available, the UK government could be hard placed not to use it, based on the scientific evidence,” said Ian Jones, virology professor at the University of Reading.
While the race for a vaccine continues, the British government has also begun exploring short-term solutions to lower the mortality rate.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government would bring forward plans to tackle obesity, as experts suggested more weight-loss surgery as a method to reduce the number of people severely harmed by the virus.
The British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society said there is evidence that bariatric surgery can reverse type 2 diabetes, a coronavirus risk factor.
But the pandemic means that carrying out these surgeries is significantly more complicated than usual.
A spokesperson for the National Health Service said COVID-19 “means there are logistical constraints on restarting elective surgery,” and weight-loss surgery is “no substitute for prevention.”
