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COVID-19 vaccine testing to begin on Monday



According to the representative of the US government, the first participant in the clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine will receive an experimental dose on Monday, March 23. The test is funded by the National Institutes of Health. It is held at the Seattle-based Kaiser Permanente Health Research Institute in Seattle. The official who published this information made a speech on condition of anonymity, because this event was not announced.

Testing will begin with 45 young, healthy volunteers. Doses of the vaccine are different. The vaccine is a collaborative effort between NIH and Moderna Inc. There is no chance that participants can become infected by injections because they do not contain the virus. The purpose of the tests is to verify that the vaccine has no side effects, as well as preparing the soil for larger trials.


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According to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, as well as health officials, even if the initial safety tests are successful, “it's about a year and a half” before any vaccine can be ready for widespread use. This is a record pace. Manufacturers know that waiting is necessary because more research is needed on thousands of people to say whether the vaccine really protects and does no harm.


The jump in the number of infected in the USA

There are more and more cases of COVID-19 infection. Dozens of research groups around the world are chasing the vaccine. It is important to note that they use different types of vaccines developed on the basis of new technologies. They are not only produced faster than traditional ones, but can also be more effective. Some researchers are even eager to get temporary vaccines that could protect people's health for one or two months, while the long-term remedies are being developed. Inovio Pharmaceuticals also intends to begin testing the safety of its vaccine candidate next month with dozens of volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as at the Kansas City Missouri Test Center, followed by a similar study in China and South Korea.

Today there are no proven treatments. In China, scientists tested a combination of HIV drugs, as well as the experimental drug Remdesivir, which was developed to combat Ebola. In the United States, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has also begun testing this drug on some Americans whose COVID-19 was found after being evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan.

The vast majority of people recover. According to WHO, people with mild illnesses recover in about two weeks, while people with more severe illnesses may need three to six weeks to recover. In most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older people and people with health problems, it can lead to more serious illnesses, including pneumonia. As a result of the pandemic, more than 156,000 people became ill worldwide and more than 5,800 people died. The death toll in the United States exceeds 50. At the same time, 3,000 infections were recorded in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

In covering health and science issues, the Associated Press is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Department of Science and Education.

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