Kenya needs 400 volunteers to test coronavirus vaccine

In Kenya, researchers are calling on 400 volunteers to participate in the testing of a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford.

According to the Kemri-Wellcome Trust, all participants must be health workers living in the coastal town of Mombasa and in the nearby town of Kilifi, where the trial will take place.

The same vaccine candidate, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is already being tested on more than 1,000 volunteers in the UK.

In the hope of obtaining sufficient support in Kenya, the Kemri-Wellcome Trust has called on the Kenya Medical Research Institute to help it find volunteers.

The testing of potential vaccines against coronavirus in Africa has been controversial, but the researchers stressed that regulatory approval would be sought before the start of any trial.

They also said that Kenya’s participation is crucial if the vaccine is to be used on the continent.