Ann: COVID-19/GVHD Update, Quarterly Report and Appendix 4C, page-194

1. Recruiting patients into a therapeutic trials ( the word is trial with very specific meaning in public's mind with a tinge of GAMBLING and while many are happy to gamble with their money, they may not be as ready to gamble with their or their loved ones' lives. Hence the the delay if there was any delay.) has always been challenging at the best of times let alone the current trying circumstances.

2. Severly sick people on ventilators aren't probably in the best frame of mind to make a decision to be part of a novice trial; so I'd assume their next of kin have to make the decision on their behalf. That decision is going to be a hard one.

3. While many of us may have no issue with stem cell therapy, it is, imo, still, an ethical area in some people's mind they find it hard to deal with.

4. The small number of people, IF small at all, to be part of the Remstemcel-L extenion trial application cannot in anyway be indicative of the number of people who will be queuing to take up the therapy if it proves effective and safe; given:
a) as of now there's no real known cure and
b) the increasing number of COVID-19 patients being moderately to severly sick all over the world.

5. Give the history of vaccines, an effective all emcompassing vaccine that can immunize everyone against this pervasive disease probably will never be found and the partially effictive vaccine, inspit of all the hype, seems some time away and it'll take time for vaccine to be available and accessible in every corner of the world.

What's more there will always be many people whose immune system will not positively respond to vaccine who'll then be willing to do anything to stay alive. While appreciating your concerns on aspects of yesterday's announcement, there are other valid reasons I can count here to rebut your reasonable worries but the above should suffice, I think. Cheers