In the UK, a biotechnology firm is currently in the process of advanced talks with the British government regarding vaccine development. The biotech firm wants to create and administer strains of the COVID-19 virus to trial participants in order to fast track the vaccine development process. Volunteers of the clinical trial will be deliberately infected with the virus, allowing the hVIVO biotech group to conduct research in an efficient and time-effective way.
However, critics of the program state that it is ethically ambiguous, and the program still needs a safety approval verification from regulators. As with any such vaccine trial, there are significant inherent risks that accompany the deliberate infection of a volunteer. Although the results could be produced faster than a conventional trial, some UK citizens believe it is immoral and could cause further spread of the virus.
