Vaccine Trial Volunteer Tests Positive for Covid-19 in Indonesia’s West Java

KOMPAS.com – One of the Indonesian volunteers for the Covid-19 vaccine trials in the Indonesian city of Bandung has contracted coronavirus after an out-of-town trip, an official confirmed on Thursday, September 10.

“After receiving the first shot, the volunteer traveled out of town,” Professor Kusnandi Rusmil of Padjajaran University Medical School, who is also the Phase 3 clinical trial research team leader, said in a statement on Thursday, September 10.

When the volunteer came back to Bandung in West Java, the place for the coronavirus vaccine test, Kusnandi said the volunteer then received the second injection following a health examination.

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The volunteer — who is currently self-isolating and under strict monitoring — is in good condition despite testing positive for the Covid-19, he said.

However, he could not confirm whether the volunteer has received a candidate vaccine or a placebo as the trial was implemented under the blind observer principle.

During the Covid-19 vaccine tests, all volunteers were divided into two groups. Some volunteers received candidate vaccines, while others received a placebo.

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Kusnandi said after receiving the second shot, the next day the volunteer underwent a swab test at the Bandung Health Agency. The test was required for the volunteer in anticipation of the potential transmission of the virus after out of town travel.

ANTARA FOTO/M AGUNG RAJASA A file photo of health workers and some volunteers for Covid-19 vaccine trials during a simulation at the Faculty of Medicine of Padjajaran University in Bandung, West Java dated August 6, 2020.

When the results of the swab test came out, the volunteer was confirmed positive for the Covid-19.

“The results of the swab test was not from the research team, but from the nasopharyngeal swab testing program by the government,” he said.

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Kusnandi urged the volunteers to follow the Covid-19 health protocols. He said that in the clinical trials not all volunteers were injected with the candidate vaccine but some were with placebo.

The clinical trial volunteers will still have their health monitored for six months after receiving the last vaccine injection, he added.

Kompas.com reported that nearly 2,200 Indonesians have volunteered for the Covid-19 vaccine trials, exceeding the initial target of 1,620 as previously announced.

Also read: Nearly 2,200 Volunteers Sign Up for Covid-19 Vaccine Trials in Indonesia

Not all the volunteers, however, meet the clinical trial requirements. About 10 percent of people failed the screening due to hypertension.

During the first batch of the injection on August 11-15, 110 volunteers received the shots from the vaccine's clinical trial team in Bandung, West Java. It is estimated that the vaccines will be tested on 540 volunteers by November and around 1,620 people by January.

The program was part of Phase 3 clinical trials jointly conducted by Indonesian vaccine manufacturer PT Bio Farma and biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd of China.
PT Bio Farma planned to produce up to 250 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine early next year after receiving 2,400 candidate vaccines from Sinovac.

(Writer: Reni Susanti | Editor : Farid Assifa, Setyo Puji)

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/11/05400021/bepergian-ke-luar-kota-relawan-uji-vaksin-buatan-china-terpapar-covid-19-ini?page=2.

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/10/19594611/relawan-yang-disuntik-vaksin-buatan-china-terpapar-covid-19.