So far, the 130 Belgians who have been given trial vaccines to protect them against Covid-19 at the UZ Gent have not experienced any problematic side effects.
After it was reported that the vaccine from AstraZeneca had been halted, Dr Isabel Leroux-Roels of the UZ Gent communicated that no major side effects were identified in any of the subjects, reports the Belga press agency. Additionally, no Belgian subjects are involved in the tests of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The news of the side effect shown by one of the AstraZeneca test subjects became known on Wednesday, but it is not yet sure whether the "undesirable and serious side effect" that caused the interruption of the test was caused by the vaccine.
The patient is reportedly suffering from myelitis, a neurological syndrome that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. Doctors will investigate this before the study can continue. However, the development of the vaccine is already being delayed.
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"We are actively interviewing the participants after vaccination," said Leroux-Roels of the trials at the UZ Ghent. "We also record any significant phenomena or changes in health status, as myelitis is an important condition."
While the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being administered to large groups of test subjects in a Phase 3 study, Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies for two other candidate vaccines are underway in Ghent.
These are being carried out by CEVAC (Centre for Vaccinology), which is affiliated with the Ghent University Hospital.
One of the vaccines in question comes from the German company CureVac, and one from the American company Johnson&Johnson. Some 50 subjects have already been vaccinated for the first study, and 80 for the second.
The Brussels Times
