Volunteer in AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial dies in Brazil: officials
[New York Post, Getty Images]
A Brazilian volunteer in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial has died, health officials announced Wednesday.
The Brazil National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) said it was notified Monday of the participant’s death and received data from the investigation into the matter.
The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is helping coordinate phase 3 clinical trials in the country, also confirmed the death.
The patient wasn’t identified, but local media said he was a 28-year-old doctor in Rio de Janeiro who had been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazilian outlet Globo reported.
It’s unclear whether the volunteer had been among the participants who received the potential vaccine or a placebo.
ANVISA said testing of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford in Britain would continue after the volunteer’s death.
The study previously faced a setback in September when one of the participants in the United Kingdom suffered an adverse reaction, prompting the company to temporarily pause the trials.
AstraZeneca didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.