Coronavirus Update: Trial Of COVID-19 Vaccine In The United States

First trials of COVID-19 vaccine have begun for the novel coronavirus even before the expected schedule according to United President Donald Trump.

At a news briefing which happened on Monday Trump said ¡°This is one of the fastest vaccine development launch in history.¡±

AFP

The private company Moderna which apparently developed the vaccine said that it has been injected to first volunteer in Phase I of the trial. Forty-five volunteers were participating in the trial.

Moderna, a private company which has developed the vaccine said that the vaccine has been injected to the first volunteer in Phase I of the trial. Almost 45 volunteers are participating in the trial.

The vaccine is called mRNA-1273, it has to go through two more phases of trials to check and make sure of the side effects and for efficacy before it gets to the masses. This process can take at least a year.

Moderna further added and said that it was already preparing for Phase II trials of the vaccine which could take place in a few months.

President Donald Trump said that the development of the medication to treat coronavirus was also moving fast.

He said, ¡°We're also racing to develop antiviral therapies and other treatments. And we've had some promising results -- early results, but promising -- to reduce the severity and the duration of the symptoms.¡±

The administration¡¯s leading scientist Anthony Fauci who is dealing with the coronavirus crisis said that he had expected that it would take at least three months to start the vaccine for trials but it was ready in 65 days.

He said, ¡°The 45 volunteers who are between the age group of 18 to 55 will be followed for a year both in terms of safety and whether it includes the kind of response that we predict would be protective¡±

Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, which has collaborated with Moderna in developing the vaccine.

The trial for this vaccine is being conducted at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington State where the first cluster of the disease was found.