Of the volunteers agreed to re-infection for the sake of science

On Monday, April 19, the University of Oxford launched a study in which people who had already had Covid-19 were re-infected for science purposes. Indeed, this study was carefully controlled in order to examine the immune response that the participants developed.

Vaccination professor Helen McShane said in a statement: Scientists will know exactly when the second infection will occur and how many viruses they have contracted She adds that this experiment will help scientists design tests that will accurately predict whether infected people are actually immune after the next infection.

However, researchers have confirmed that people who do develop symptoms will receive the anti-drug Regeneron, which is used to treat Covid-19.

Participants will be infected with the original strain of Covid-19

This study is called ” The first of its kind It is funded by the Wellcome Trust. Consequently, the researchers selected 64 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30 who would voluntarily be re-infected with the original strain of Covid-19 from Wuhan. Science alert.

After that, the researchers will be isolated for 17 days in a special hospital ward, with lung and heart examination. After that, they will undergo a one-year medical follow-up. According to Chobanna Balasingham, Wellcome’s Senior Vaccine Research Adviser, ” This study has the potential to transform our understanding by providing high-quality data ».

Researchers will monitor disease progression and treatment

In the initial phase of the trial, researchers will look at the minimum dose that allows the virus to replicate, even without symptoms, in 50% of the participants. In the second phase, another group of volunteers will receive this specified minimum dose. The study also comes as a London hospital isolated a group of healthy volunteers while they were exposed to the virus.

For information, the study began last March and is being carried out in cooperation with Imperial College London and the hVIVO company of the Royal Hospital of London. Thus, researchers monitor disease progression on participants and how drugs and vaccines work against the virus.