Scientists and researchers from many countries are competing for a vaccine against the coronavirus that currently infects about 180,000 people worldwide. The vaccine has been reported in a few countries, but has not yet been tested in humans. It is now being tested in humans for the first time in the United States. The vaccine, co-developed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and biotechnology company Moderna, is called mRNA-1273. The Kaiser Permanente research team in Seattle began injecting a small number of healthy people on Monday, March 16th.
Forty-five healthy people between the ages of 18 and 55 have applied for the vaccine. These people will be given injections in six weeks from now, and these people have undergone voluntary testing.
The injected subjects were tested twice every 28 days for injections into the arm muscles. One of the test takers, Jennifer Haller, said it was a unique opportunity for people to be tested. When something goes wrong with the experiment, the experimenter will suffer.
The Norwegian-Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is also involved in funding the development of the vaccine. There is currently no official drug that can cure and prevent the Coronavirus virus.
Even after the success of this test in humans, it will take about a year and a half for the vaccine to be developed and distributed to humans. Britain Scientists and medical researchers in Australia are also testing the vaccine, and another US drugmaker, Inovio, is developing a DNA-based vaccine that will be tested next month.
The American Gilead Sciences also says that remdesivir, a viral treatment in China, has reached the final stage and is effective in testing people in China. But is this treatment the only relief? It is not clear if they recovered.
According to the WHO, 80% of coronavirus infections are minor, 14% are severe and 5% are severe coronavirus. When infected with a serious type of virus, it can cause fluid to enter the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to enter.
Smallpox infections can recover within a week or two, but a severe viral infection can last at least six weeks. At present, more than 180,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, and about 7,100 have died, so people around the world are hoping for an immediate vaccine for the virus.
Ref:
BBC: Coronavirus: US volunteers to test
