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Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Covi Vax trials to take 6-9 months

Our locally made Covi Vax will spend somewhere between six and nine months in clinical trials, head of the team in charge of supervising the clinical research studies Osama Azmi told the Middle East News Agency. After the clinical trials the vaccine will be submitted to the Egyptian Drug Authority for approval before it can be administered. The first phase of the trials will be over in two weeks, Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar told Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 13:24) and the second and third phases will take about six months.

Where do the trials currently stand? So far 72 volunteers received their first jab and prior to that, the vaccine was tested on 540 animal species, and it showed effectiveness against all virus variants. Earlier this week, interim health minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar announced that the trials will begin with tens of participants before they’re expanded to include hundreds and thousands of people.

The Health Ministry reported 941 new covid-19 infections yesterday, on par with 946 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 345,848 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 69 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 19,636.

MEANWHILE- Lockdowns are definitely not a thing of the past up in Europe:

  • Austria is taking draconian measures as it battles record high covid cases: Unvaccinated people aged 12 and up have been placed in lockdown, and are now only allowed to leave their homes for a few reasons, such as buying food or working. (BBC)
  • The Netherlands is also locking down: The Netherlands re-entered a partial lockdown on Saturday, after which shops and restaurants will close early and sports events will be closed to the public. (Reuters)
  • The UK could be looking at another covid lockdown: PM Boris Johnson told people to make sure to get their covid jabs and booster shots to avoid another lockdown this winter. (Bloomberg)

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