CAPRISA Clinical Research Sites launch Covid-19 Prevention Network studies

28 August 2020

The CAPRISA HIV Prevention teams at the eThekwini (ECRC) and Vulindlela Clinical Research Sites (VCRC) successfully launched two observational SARS CoV-2 studies as part of the newly formed NIH-funded Covid-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN).

The aim of the CoVPN 5001 and HVTN 405/HPTN 1901 is to study viral kinetics and immune system responses among acute and convalescent volunteers.

Under the leadership of study PIs Dr Halima Dawood and Dr Disebo Makhaza, the VCRC was the first site in Africa to receive full site activation and to enrol a participant into the HVTN 405/HPTN 1901 study. The CAPRISA team has since enrolled a further 29 participants from the eThekwini and uMgungundlovu districts in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dr Nigel Garrett, Head of Vaccine and Pathogenesis Research at CAPRISA and study PI at ECRS, stressed that studies of natural immunity to SARS CoV-2 are crucial to inform the interpretation of vaccine responses in upcoming vaccine trials that are due to start in September.

The CAPRISA team expressed their gratitude to General Practitioners and volunteers for their contribution to these studies.

The ECRC team. (L-R): Dr Nigel Garrett, Mpume Khoza (Nurse), Bongi Zuma (Study Coordinator), Dominic Shange,(Driver) and Thembelani Nyathi (Counsellor) conducting a home visit in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal,