The first human trial of a vaccine to
protect against pandemic coronavirus has started in the US.
protect against pandemic coronavirus has started in the US.
Four
patients received the jab at the Kaiser Permanente research facility in
Seattle, Washington, reports the Associated Press news agency.
patients received the jab at the Kaiser Permanente research facility in
Seattle, Washington, reports the Associated Press news agency.
The vaccine cannot cause Covid-19 but contains a harmless genetic code copied from
the virus that causes the disease.
the virus that causes the disease.
Experts
say it will still take many months to know if this vaccine or others also in the research will work.
say it will still take many months to know if this vaccine or others also in the research will work.
The first person to get the jab on Monday was a 43-year-old mother-of-two from
Seattle.
Seattle.
“This
is an amazing opportunity for me to do something,” Jennifer Haller told
AP.
is an amazing opportunity for me to do something,” Jennifer Haller told
AP.
And
this first human trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, sidesteps
a check that would normally be conducted – making sure the vaccine can trigger an immune response in animals.
this first human trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, sidesteps
a check that would normally be conducted – making sure the vaccine can trigger an immune response in animals.
But
the biotechnology company behind the work, Moderna Therapeutics, says the vaccine has been made using a tried and tested process.
the biotechnology company behind the work, Moderna Therapeutics, says the vaccine has been made using a tried and tested process.
