SANTIAGO – The Minister of Science, Andrés Couve, announced Friday that the Chilean government is developing a national strategy for vaccine COVID-19 once it is developed.
During a daily briefing, Mr. Couve indicated that the measure is framed along with two other lines of work promoted by the ministry.
“A vaccine will be the definitive solution for COVID-19 and although many research teams around the world are working on it, it will take 12-18 months to develop,” he said.
The minister reiterated that, according to the information provided by the WHO, there are currently 10 advanced studies that are in the clinical phase, that is, in tests with humans.
“As a ministry, we are working so that when the time comes, we can have timely and equitable access in Chile for a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19,” he added.
“The President has entrusted us to lead a national strategy for a COVID-19 vaccine that allows us to prepare to arrive with it as soon as possible,” he added.
Meet Andrés Couve Correa – Chile’s first Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation
Chile has surpassed France to become the 12th country with most number of coronavirus cases, a total of 160,846 till Friday. The South American country has so far recorded 2,870 deaths related to COVID-19 infection, while there are 26,618 active cases.
Couve explained that the strategy consists of identifying promising developments and establishing international collaboration to carry out clinical trials in Chile, contributing to the development of the vaccine and strengthening the scientific community.”
In this way, he indicated that so far “there are contacts with some developments in China that have a phase in humans” and that the strategy will be promoted jointly with the Ministry of Health and the Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, some 42 thousand people will participate in the phase 3 trial of testing the vaccine for COVID-19, developed by the University of Oxford, when the Oxford-led trial is combined with a directed phase 3 trial by its partner, AstraZeneca.
In Phase 3, Oxford is enrolling 10,000 people in the UK, and AstraZeneca is enrolling 30,000 in the United States. On June 2, the Brazilian government approved the inclusion of volunteers in its country, with 2,000 volunteers to be evaluated there.
The AstraZeneca portion of the phase 3 trial will begin in August, according to the National Institutes of Health, which will conduct and fund the trials.
Participants in the phase 3 group will “receive one or two doses” of their candidate for the covid-19 vaccine, or another licensed vaccine that will be the control group.
