This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, Oxford University began human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa and Brazil, marking one of the earliest and most advanced trials for a vaccine to tackle the pandemic.
The trials, which involve 2,000 people in South Africa and 5,000 in Brazil, aim to test the effectiveness of the vaccine in communities at high risk of infection.
South Africa was chosen as a trial site due to its expertise in vaccine development and the rapid spread of Covid-19 in the country, making it easier for scientists to identify a community at immediate risk of infection.
The first doses of the vaccine were administered in Johannesburg, South Africa, this week, with similar tests already underway in the UK, where the infection rate is slowing.
