Another eight deaths as new vaccine trial set to begin
PUBLIC Health Wales said a further eight people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths in Wales to 1,282.
Another 141 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 13,556.
Meanwhile, 500 people in Wales are set to take part in a groundbreaking trial for a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford.
The trial will be open to staff aged 18 and above working in health and care settings in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area.
Staff in hospitals, GP practices, pharmacies, physiotherapy, community care and other non-clinical professions within secondary care – who are deemed at risk of exposure to coronavirus – will be eligible.
The aim is to find a safe vaccine that will develop immunity against the virus and prevent the disease from spreading.
Overall, the study aims to recruit 10,000 participants.
Those taking part will either receive the trial Covid-19 vaccine or a control vaccine against meningitis – though they will not know which they have had.
Health and Care Research Wales, a collaboration between Public Health Wales, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, is coordinating the Welsh arm of the trial sponsored by the University of Oxford, while Public Health Wales (PHW) will lead the recruitment.
Dr Chris Williams, principal investigator for Public Health Wales and lead for the vaccine trial in Wales, said: “This is an important study to test the effectiveness of one of the main candidate vaccines for Covid-19 in Wales.
“If successful, vaccination will provide a route out of this pandemic. We will be recruiting participants for screening and administration of vaccine, and monitoring outcomes and safety.”
Eligible participants will receive details from the health board about how to participate if they wish.
However, this phase of the trial is not open to members of the public.
Aneurin Bevan health board, which covers Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen and South Powys, was in the early days of the pandemic one of the worsthit areas in the UK and had almost half of the cases in Wales.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said Wales would play a significant role in the search for a vaccine, and welcomed news of the trial.
“It is one of the main candidate vaccines for coronavirus,” he said.
Mr Drakeford added that there are eight urgent public health trials in Wales investigating the virus itself and potential new treatments, with more than 1,500 people from Wales participating.
“This research is vital if we are to find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent its spread, to understand the virus’ impact on health and care services and the wider population,” he said.
“Ever since I was health minister I have always been hugely impressed by the willingness of Welsh people and Welsh patients to take part in clinical trials.”
Mr Drakeford also said that last weekend the government was contacting people who have tested positive for coronavirus as part of “four small-scale contact tracing trials” being carried out in Wales.
He said local authority staff are involved in these pilots and will look at key aspects of contact tracing, training requirements, data capture and any legal issues involved.
“This is a key part of the test, trace and protect strategy which the health minister published two weeks ago,” he said.
Mr Drakeford added we were now a “significant step” closer to antibody testing being available in Wales – another key part of the test, trace and protect strategy.
“Healthcare settings and care homes will be prioritised as these tests become available, and it is very good to know that the Pencoed-based Ortho Clinical Diagnostics company is one of those who will be manufacturing these tests for the UK.
“All of these are very positive developments and help our immediate and future responses to this crisis.”
The Oxford Vaccine Group Covid-19 trial is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) UK Research and Innovation.
Professor Sue Bale, director of research and development at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “Finding a vaccine for Covid-19 is thought to be the only way in which we can start to return to any degree of normality as a society.
“Scientists at Oxford University have developed a vaccine and the health board has the exciting opportunity for 500 of our staff to take part in this fantastic trial.”
Professor Kerry Hood, director of the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, said a study like this would normally take months to set up.
She added: “But with such a dedicated, skilled team working across organisational boundaries has achieved an amazing feat.
“This is a mighty step for research, even if it is only what may seem a small step in our national response to Covid-19.”
Phase one of the UKwide Oxford Vaccine Group Covid-19 vaccine trial began in April, with more than 1,000 immunisations already being completed.
Phase two will involve expanding the age range of people the vaccine is assessed in to include a small number of older adults and children, such as those aged 56 to 69, over-70s and five- to 12-year-olds.
For these groups, researchers will be assessing the immune response to the vaccine in people of different ages to find out if there is variation in how well the immune system responds in older people or children.
Finally, phase three of the study will involve assessing how the vaccine works in a large number of people over the age of 18.
This group will assess how well the vaccine works to prevent people from becoming infected and unwell with Covid-19.
Adult participants in both phase two and three groups will be randomised to receive one or two doses of either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a licensed meningitis vaccine (MenACWY) that will be used as a “control” for comparison.
ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a virus (ChAdOx1), which is a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees, which has been genetically changed so that it is impossible for it to replicate in humans.