Six macaque monkeys given a trial vaccine from the University of Oxford are coronavirus-free 28 days after sustained exposure to the virus.
The university says the result is a promising early sign for the vaccine, which is set to be introduced to Kenya for human trials. However, a working human version remains months away even in the best-case scenario.
A report by The New York Times states the monkey experiment was carried out in late March by government scientists at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.
“The rhesus macaque is pretty much the closest thing we have to humans,” Vincent Munster, the head of the Virus Ecology Unit at the laboratory, told the Times.
This comes after acting Health Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth, announced that in terms of treatment, Kenya has been listed by WHO to be part of the Solidarity Trial. The trials, however, he said will be limited to the kind of drugs already accepted by the global health body.
