#Roommates, as the coronavirus continues to take hold of the world and change practically every aspect of our daily lives, many are anxiously awaiting any news surrounding a possible vaccine. Well, that time appears to have come—it was just announced that the U.S. has just administered its first coronavirus vaccine trial testing.
@APNews reports, U.S. researchers officially administered the first shot to a willing volunteer to test an experimental coronavirus vaccine earlier today—which is welcome news as the need for protection from the worldwide pandemic continues to surge. Scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle began the first-stage study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed rather quickly following the worldwide outbreak that initially occurred a few months ago in China.
The first participant in the study for the vaccine trial is an operations manager at a small tech company in Seattle, and they received the injection inside a private exam room. Three other people followed, as a total of 45 volunteers will be given two doses of the potential vaccine a month apart.
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This coronavirus trial vaccine is reportedly the beginning of a series of studies in required to prove whether the shots are safe and could possibly work as protection from the virus. However, it should be noted that even if the research goes well, a vaccine wouldn’t be available for widespread use for at least a year to 18 months, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
The potential vaccine, code-named mRNA-1273, was rapidly developed by the NIH and Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc. Also, it was revealed that all the participants who volunteered won’t be at risk for getting infected from the vaccine shots because they don’t actually contain the coronavirus.
Additionally, there are reportedly dozens of other potential vaccines in the works, as various research groups are racing to create a legitimate vaccine against COVID-19. Inovio Pharmaceuticals is expected to begin its own vaccine trial testing in the U.S., China and South Korea next month.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
