WHO looks at giving Covid-19 to healthy people to speed up vaccine trials
by Natalie Grover from on (#5BAJA)
Advisory meeting will discuss feasibility of human challenge trials despite first jabs becoming available
The World Health Organization is holding discussions on Monday about the feasibility of trials in which healthy young volunteers are deliberately infected with coronavirus to hasten vaccine development - amid questions over whether they should go ahead given the promising data from the frontrunner vaccine candidates.
Some scientists have reservations about exposing volunteers to a virus for which there is no cure, although there are treatments that can help patients. However, proponents argue that the risks of Covid-19 to the young and healthy are minimal, and the benefits to society are high.
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