Timothy Lebelwane of Diepsloot is one of 2,000 people in South Africa participating in a Covid-19 vaccine trial spearheaded by Wits University. The same vaccine is also being tested in large trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil.The 57-year-old healthcare worker started trial-related tests at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Diepsloot, Soweto, last month.by phone.“An injection on my left shoulder, it was a little bit sore, not much though.
“I am feeling fine,” says Lebelwane. “I’m feeling just like I did yesterday before I had the injection. I have no side effects. I’m feeling energetic and had a good appetite this morning. Here at the clinic, I have seen a lot of people today… it’s been really busy.”If all goes well, he says he hopes to be a part of the solution in the fight against Covid-19.
“As a health worker, I was curious,” says Lebelwane. “I first heard of the vaccine trial from a lady who came to my clinic to give a talk on the trial. At first I was afraid, but then I approached her. I thought, why not me? That’s when I said, ‘Okay, let me go and join’. It’s not for the sake of money. I want to help find this vaccine to help people fight Covid-19 around the world.
At an earlier Wits University media briefing, Madhi said the South African leg of the study will include 50 volunteers who have HIV. He added that South African participants are thoroughly educated on what they are consenting to, and that they must undergo a test to assess their understanding. “The very same day, they phoned me in the evening, saying I should go back the next day. So I went, and they did more tests. A swab in the nose, again. It is not sore, you just have to look upward, and that’s it.
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