By 'Femi Okutubo
Elisa Granato
Elisa Granato
Claims about the death of Europe's first human volunteer in the trial of a potential COVID-19 vaccine - Elisa Granato, are false.
Oxford-based Granato is one of two volunteers injected earlier in the week with this trial vaccine. She is a Post-Doctoral Researcher studying Bacterial Interactions and how they evolved, and currently works with Prof. Kevin Foster at the University of Oxford.
Elisa Granato
Elisa Granato taking vaccine
In a tweet, Granato said: "Nothing like waking up to a fake article on your death... I'm doing fine everyone. Please don't share the article in question, we don't want to give them attention / clicks. Have a cute cat instead!"
Over 800 people have been recruited for the study - which will see half receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and the other half receiving a control vaccine which protects against Meningitis but not Coronavirus.
The design of the trial means volunteers will not know which vaccine they have received, although doctors will.
Elisa Granato
The vaccine was developed in under three months by a team at Oxford University. Sarah Gilbert, Vaccinology Professor at the Jenner Institute, led the pre-clinical research.
The vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been modified so it cannot grow in humans.