Hiccup for Oxford vaccine trials

LESS than a week after the federal government signed a deal to secure millions of doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine for Australia, the worldleading trials have been put on hold.

The phase three Oxford University and AstraZeneca trials were paused on Wednesday after one of the participants fell ill.

“This is a routine action, which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials,” AstraZeneca said in a statement.

“In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully.”

Federal deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said it was too early to give up on the vaccine candidate and said pauses in development were standard.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the federal government was in active talks over “a number” of other promising vaccines and was considering deals with other companies.

Meanwhile, more than a thousand anti-lockdown protesters could rally again in Melbourne on Saturday after a weekend of clashes with police.

A ‘Melbourne Freedom Walk’ has been organised on Facebook and is being closely monitored by police.

The event has gained interest from more than 1400 people and is being described by organisers as a “legal walk, allowing citizens to come together, get healthy and talk about getting our freedoms back”.

A second secret protest has also been planned for the City of Melbourne on Sunday.

Victoria Police arrested 17 people who took part in anti-lockdown protests at the Shrine of Remembrance and Albert Park Lake last Saturday.