Dr João Pedro Feitosa has been named and pictured in local media as it is revealed he was in the placebo group of the AstraZeneca clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine, being co-developed by Oxford University

The volunteer who died in a clinical trial of the Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine has been named as Dr João Pedro Feitosa.

The 28-year-old medic, pictured in local media, was taking part in AstraZeneca’s trial in Brazil, and was not given the vaccine but a benign placebo, it has been revealed tonight.

It is reported Dr Feitosa died from complications from coronavirus while taking part in the trial of the potential vaccine, but the pharmaceutical giant would not comment on his death.

AstraZeneca is developing the vaccine with Oxford University in the UK.

Local news site Diario do Nordeste reports Dr Feitosa was a recently graduated Brazilian doctor who lived in Rio de Janeiro.