UW-Madison resuming COVID-19 vaccine trial next week

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin-Madison will resume enrolling patients for a coronavirus vaccine trial next week.

Thirty-six people had received the first of two shots before the study at the School of Medicine and Public Health was paused in September.

The study is for a coronavirus vaccine produced by Oxford University and the British pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca, which announced last Friday that testing would resume after it got clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.

Testing of AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate was paused after a study volunteer developed a serious health issue. Such temporary halts of drug and vaccine testing are relatively common. It allows researchers time to investigate whether an illness is a side effect or a coincidence.

The participants in the UW-Madison study will now have the option to receive their second dose of the vaccine and the school will resume enrolling volunteers, Wisconsin Public Radio News reported.

On Wednesday, the state reported 3,800 more new coronavirus cases and 45 deaths, bringing the death toll to 1,897 in Wisconsin. The positivity rate for the most recent seven-day period was the highest ever at 27.2%.

There were a record 1,439 people hospitalized with the virus in the state Wednesday, including 339 patients in intensive care.