Human Trials Of Coronavirus Vaccine Will Reportedly Start In A Few Weeks In The US
A company called Moderna had recently gotten a vaccine ready that it had sent to the National Institutes of Health in the US for testing. Previous reports indicated that the human trials for the vaccine could take months, which surely disappointed many. However, a recent report reveals that this timeline has been rescheduled drastically.
With the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading like wildfire, a vaccine to cure this novel coronavirus is needed now more than ever. Scientists across the world are working on making this a reality to put a stop to the global lockdown we all are in right now.
Reuters
A company called Moderna had reportedly readied a vaccine that it had sent to the National Institutes of Health in the US for testing. Previous reports indicated that the human trials for the vaccine could take months, which surely disappointed many. However, a recent report reveals that this timeline has been rescheduled drastically.
Reported first by CNBC, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, we could have a human trial in just a few weeks.
He said in an official statement to the House Oversight And Reform Committee, ¡°We said that it would take two to three months to have it in the first human. I think we¡¯re going to do better than that. I would hope within a few weeks we may be able to make an announcement to you all that we¡¯ve given the first shot to the first person.¡±
However, he further clarified, ¡°I want to make sure people understand, and I¡¯ve said that over and over again, that does not mean we have a vaccine that we can use. We mean it¡¯s record time to get it tested. It¡¯s going to take a year to a year and a half to really know if it works.¡±
Reuters
According to Fauci, the vaccine we¡¯re all so hopeful about consists of genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA, that was produced in a lab.
The mRNA is essentially a genetic code that instructs cells how to form a protein. It was found in the outer coat of COVID-19, as per research conducted by scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.
The mRNA tells the body¡¯s own cellular mechanisms for making proteins that looks similar to the virus proteins, thus forming an immune response.
While putting the vaccine through the human trial so soon sounds good, there is still a lot we need to learn about the vaccine and its reactions on the human body -- to understand its effectiveness, side-effects if any etc. So giving the research its time is only logical. Till then, prevention is our only cure against the novel coronavirus.
