It is called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and could represent a new hope in the fight against Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus Sars-Cov-2 that has infected nearly 15 million people worldwide.

We are talking about the experimental vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company. Having now reached the end of its second trial phase, it has shown encouraging results: the vaccine is capable of generating a strong response in the production of antibodies and immune cells in the subjects to whom it was administered.

The preliminary results of the Oxford vaccine

The scientific journal The Lancet has published the preliminary results from the first two phases of testing. The vaccine was created starting from a virus that causes colds in chimpanzees, suitably modified to render it harmless and to teach the human body how to fight infections caused by the real coronavirus. The study involved 1,077 healthy adult volunteers and highlighted "a strong immune and antibody response up to day 56 of the ongoing trial". In the ten participants who received two doses of the vaccine, the immune response was even stronger.

At this point, further studies are needed to ascertain that the vaccine also works against Sars-Cov-2, given that the tests conducted up to this point had the sole purpose of verifying its safety. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has in fact been described as "safe and with few side effects". The majority of trial participants experienced fever and headaches in the days following the first dose, symptoms that were kept under control simply by administering paracetamol.

Phase 3 of the trial has already begun

"There is still a great deal of work to be done before we can confirm that our vaccine could be an ally against Covid-19, but these results give us reason for hope," said Professor Sarah Gilbert of the University of Oxford.

Oxford and AstraZeneca are collaborating with numerous clinical partners around the world to test it and have already launched a third phase of trials that will take place across multiple countries and will involve more than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom, 30,000 in the United States, 2,000 in South Africa and 5,000 in Brazil.

Boris Johnson ✓ @BorisJohnson

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This is very positive news. A huge well done to our brilliant, world-leading scientists & researchers at @UniofOxford.
There are no guarantees, we’re not there yet & further trials will be necessary - but this is an important step in the right direction.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-534698…

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More than 160 vaccines are currently being trialled worldwide

To date, more than 160 vaccines against the coronavirus are being developed around the world, but this would appear to be the most promising. 140 are still in a pre-clinical phase, around ten have passed the first phase and around ten the second. Currently only four vaccines have been tested on a large scale and have provided concrete results.

Brazil, in addition to the trials for the Oxford vaccine, has just launched the third trial phase for the Chinese vaccine Coronavac, which is said to have shown promising results. Should these be confirmed, the public institute Butantan could produce 120 million doses from 2021 onwards.

When will the vaccine be ready

Sars-Cov-2 is a new virus that requires a new approach. For this reason, scientists urge caution: the results from the third phase of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 will arrive around September, and a working vaccine will not be available before the end of the year in any case. The road to having a vaccine on a large scale, available to a great number of people worldwide, is still long.