Oxford has recently confirmed the plan to keep testing, saying in a statement that after careful assessment there have been no concerns about safety of the clinical trial.
On Wednesday, Brazilian health authority Anvisa said that a volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University had died but added that the trial would continue.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the trial would have been suspended if the volunteer who died had received the COVID-19 vaccine, suggesting the person was part of the control group that was given a meningitis jab.
The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is helping coordinate phase 3 clinical trials in Brazil, said an independent review committee had also recommended the trial continue. The university earlier confirmed the volunteer was Brazilian but gave no further personal details.
In a statement the Brazilian university said: “Everything is proceeding as expected, without any record of serious vaccine-related complications involving any of the participating volunteers.”
Anvisa provided no further details, citing medical confidentiality of those involved in trials.
