UK Controversy Over COVID-19 Vaccine Trial 'Deliberately Injecting Virus into Humans'

Vaccination of Volunteers... Virus Exposure After 1 Month
Accelerating Development vs Violating Medical Ethics

Imperial College London is developing a vaccine.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Controversy is arising in the UK over a plan to deliberately infect humans with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to accelerate the development of a vaccine.

Sky News and others reported on the 24th (local time) that such human trials are scheduled to take place next January at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Two thousand volunteers will be vaccinated with a vaccine under development at Imperial College, and after waiting for antibodies to form, they will be exposed to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 one month later to verify the vaccine's efficacy.

This trial is led by 'hVivo,' a spin-off company of Queen Mary University of London, and funded by the UK government.

Oxford University, which is also developing a COVID-19 vaccine, is reportedly pursuing a similar human trial.

However, opinions are divided on the plan to deliberately infect humans with the virus.

While there are proponents who argue that this trial will speed up vaccine development, there are also opponents who claim it violates medical ethics.