Testing of one of the world's leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates has been interrupted after safety concerns have put the latest clinical trial phase on hold.

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The test vaccine, jointly developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and scientists at the University of Oxford, was considered a frontrunner in the global race to find a safe, effective immunisation that protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

However, according to health news site STAT, which broke the story earlier today, the vaccine's Phase 3 trial was put on hold after a "suspected serious adverse reaction" to the drug in one participant in the UK.