Drone Camera Shot Over The Ocean

Oxford and AstraZeneca resume Covid-19 vaccine trial

Oxford university and AstraZeneca are to resume the international clinical trial of their proposed covid-19  vaccine candidate. Speculation that there might be a significant delay in the much-watched study turns out to have been unjustified.

The trial was paused last Sunday when a participant fell ill in the UK. In a statement, the university confirmed the restart across all of its U.K. clinical trial sites after regulators gave the go-ahead following the pause on Sunday.

The vaccine being developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca is widely perceived to be one of the strongest contenders among the dozens of coronavirus vaccines in various stages of testing around the world.
It said globally some 18,000 people have received its vaccine so far in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. Around 30,000 volunteers are being recruited in the United States .

Although Oxford would not disclose information about the patient's illness due to participant confidentiality, an AstraZeneca spokesman said earlier this week that a woman had developed severe neurological symptoms that prompted the pause. Specifically, the woman is said to have developed symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, a rare inflammation of the spinal cord.

The university insisted that it is “committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our studies and will continue to monitor safety closely.”

The Oxford-AstraZeneca study had been previously stopped in July for several days after a participant developed neurological symptoms that turned out to be an undiagnosed case of multiple sclerosis that researchers said was unrelated to the vaccine.

During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety. The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn’t between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot .

First batch of Russia's covid- 19 vaccine released into Public

Moscow: The Russian Health Ministry has said that the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine against the covid-19 has been released into public circulation, with regional deliveries planned in the near future. On August 11, Moscow registered the world’s first vaccine against COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, amid widespread criticism from global experts citing safety concerns.
“The first batch of the ‘Gam-COVID-Vac’ [Sputnik V] vaccine for the prevention of new coronavirus infection, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia, has passed the necessary quality tests in the laboratories of Roszdravnadzor [medical device regulator] and has been released into civil circulation,” the ministry said in a statement, Sputnik reported.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko had announced that vaccination against COVID-19 among volunteers under phase 3 of clinical trials will start this week.
On Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed hope that the majority of the Russian capital’s residents would be vaccinated against COVID-19 withing several months .

Sputnik V vaccine trial to begin this month in India

Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), on Monday confirmed that the clinical trial of the Sputnik V vaccine will begin this month in countries, including India. Russia had said that at least 20 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil and India, have expressed their interest in obtaining the vaccine following registration.
Last weekend, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that he feels good after getting the vaccine and experiences no side effects.
"I feel quite all right. I have neither run a high temperature nor experienced any other side effects. I advise everyone to undergo vaccination," he said in a televised interview with Rossiya’1 channel, which excerpts were aired on Saturday, reported Russian news agency TASS.
The results of the phase 1-2 clinical trials, published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed 100 per cent participants developed antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and no serious  side effects .

Russian Covid -19 vaccine generates immune response

Russian scientists have published the first report on their coronavirus vaccine, saying early tests showed signs of an immune response.

The report published by medical journal The Lancet said every participant developed antibodies to fight the virus and had no serious  side effects .

"The two 42-day trials - including 38 healthy adults each - did not find any serious adverse effects among participants, and confirmed that the vaccine candidates elicit an antibody response," The Lancet said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement on August 13 that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine raised scepticism.

The participants - aged between 18 and 60 - were monitored for 42 days and all of them developed antibodies within three weeks. Among the most common side effects were headaches and joint pain.

The trials were open label and not randomised, meaning there was no placebo and the volunteers were aware they were receiving the vaccine.

"Large, long-term trials including a placebo comparison, and further monitoring are needed to establish the long-term safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for preventing Covid-19 infection," the report said.

Russian Oppostion Leader Navalany poisoned Novichok .

Russian Opposition leader Alexy Navalany 

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent that British authorities identified in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy.

The German government said testing by a German military laboratory showed "proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group".

The Berlin hospital treating Navalny said he remains in a serious condition though he is improving.

It said it expects a long recovery, and it still cannot rule out long-term consequences from the poisoning.
The Kremlin said Russia was ready to cooperate fully with Germany. Russia had not received an answer to its request for German doctors to share their findings.

The White House said it is "deeply troubled" by confirmation in Germany.
"Alexei Navalny's poisoning is completely reprehensible," National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said on Twitter .

The European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen denounced what she called the "despicable and cowardly" poisoning of Navalny.
Those responsible should be brought to justice, she said.