WHO Says Vaccine Safety Top Priority

AstraZeneca pauses study after unexplained illness in volunteer

ZURICH (Reuters) – Safety of a prospective vaccine for COVID-19 comes “first and foremost,” the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said yesterday, as a trial of a candidate from AstraZeneca was paused, at least temporarily, due to concerns over side effects.

“Just because we talk about speed... it doesn’t mean we start compromising or cutting corners on what would normally be assessed,” Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said on a social media event.