Kenya looks for 400 coronavirus vaccine volunteers

Researchers in Kenya are calling for 400 volunteers to take part in a trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine pioneered by the University of Oxford.

The Kemri-Wellcome Trust says all participants must be health workers living in the coastal city of Mombasa and nearby town of Kilifi, where the trial will take place.

The same potential vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is already being tested on more than 1,000 volunteers in the UK.

Hoping to drum up enough support in Kenya, the Kemri-Wellcome Trust has enlisted the Kenya Medical Research Institute to help with the search for participants.

There has been controversy around the testing of vaccines in Africa, but the researchers stressed that regulatory approval will be sought before any trial begin.

They also said that Kenyan participation is crucial if the vaccine is to be suitable for use on the continent.