Prince William visited the scientists working on creating a COVID-19 vaccine at Oxford University on Wednesday, June 24. The Duke of Cambridge toured the laboratory while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) like face mask, eye protection and a lab coat.
The royal checked out samples from coronavirus clinical trials which the scientists have been studying. The said trials started last April 23 with about 10,000 patients in the United Kingdom who would soon be vaccinated and, hopefully, cured of the virus.
Prince William discussed with the clinical trial team and also met some of patients at the nearby Churchill Hospital who have signed up for the vaccination program. According to the Telegraph, the Duke of Cambridge told the experts their work would bring "a huge sigh of relief" if the vaccine turns out to be a success.
Queen Elizabeth's grandson also passed on his grandmother's appreciation for the scientists. He said that the royal family is very proud of the Oxford experts who are leading the world in finding a cure for the deadly virus.
A day before heading to the laboratory, Prince William spoke via video call with some of the representatives of AstraZeneca and the Oxford experts. He said that he's been fascinated that their work is "so far ahead" of other coronavirus vaccine clinical trials.
Apparently, the Oxford scientists were able to identify early on that coronavirus would likely be a pandemic problem. Thus, they started studying the virus to come up with the vaccine.
According to USA Today, the vaccine trial is a deal and a collaboration among the U.K., the U.S., the European Union and AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company. The British government set aside $100 million for this development, which will be available globally through a non-profit basis -- if it works.
Known for now as the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, the clinical trials expand to Brazil and South Africa this June. AstraZeneca wants about 30,000 patients for this experiment with a goal of delivering 300 million doses by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Prince William has apparently returned to Kensington Palace as he resumed his public, in-person engagements. He and his wife, Kate Middleton, emerged from their lockdowns early this week by carrying separate face-to-face meetings.
The royals have been mostly isolated at Anmer Hall in Norfolk for at least three months, just like the rest of the world when the pandemic emerged. The U.K. recently eased on its lockdown measures and the economy has slowly reopened this month.
