The University of Witwatersrand (WITS) has launched the country’s first vaccination trials. The vaccination, which is technically named ChAdOx1-nCOV-19, is aimed at preventing infection by the virus that causes COVID-19.   The trial is a partnership between WITS and the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, in the UK. It’s supported by the national Department of Health and the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC), while the R150 million bill is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  More than 100 vaccines are currently under development around the world with at least five of them undergoing human trials at the moment.

Topic: Vaccine development process

Guest: Dr John Woodland, Postdoctoral medicinal chemist with the Drug Discovery and Development Centre  at University of Cape Town

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast