Brazil authorizes additional 5,000 volunteers for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa on Tuesday authorized AstraZeneca PLC to test its COVID-19 vaccine on an addition 5,000 volunteers in the country for clinical Phase III trials, the Sao Paulo university running the test said.

The increase, in addition to 5,000 volunteers already recruited and being vaccinated, will help provide more solid results on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, the Federal University of Sao Paulo said in a statement. It said volunteers over the age of 18 are being sought in the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Rio Grande do Sul, at opposite ends of Brazil.