In a sprint of scientists from various research institutions across the globe to find the vaccine for the COVID-19 epidemic has begun to progress:
On Monday 3/16/2020 the first four people have been vaccinated to test this vaccine.
The first clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
This is a vaccine developed by Moderna Inc., a pharmaceutical company, which specializes in researching new drugs related to RNA or mRNA.
There are NO SARS-CoV-2 viruses present in these vaccines but instead, a piece of RNA studied from the laboratory. That means the participants will not be infected with COVID-19.
This clinical trial, which is part of the first phase of this study, was performed at an extremely rapid rate, faster than the time of SARS and MERS.
In the coming days, all 45 volunteers aged 18-55 with normal health will participate. They do not have health problems or are taking medications that affect the immune system.
The trial is scheduled to last for 6 weeks, and participants will be given two injections, each one month apart with different doses of vaccine.
In phase 1, the study focused on examining signs of serious side effects, if any. This is to ensure the absolute safety of the vaccine when it is mass-produced later. The effectiveness of the vaccine will be monitored over the next 2 months, which will then involve more people.
Currently, scientists around the world are testing different ways to select the most effective vaccine:
- There are studies suggesting vaccines with strong doses
- There are other studies using temporary support methods, effective virus protection in a few months period ...
According to health officials, the steps from discovery to testing (at least through three stages) and until a safe, effective vaccine reaches people all over the world will need an extra in the period of 12-18 months.
