A US government official said Monday that the United States will begin clinical tests to evaluate a vaccine designed to protect against the emerging virus “COVID-19”, on Monday.
The official, “AP” quoted the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the first participant in the test, will receive a trial dose on March 16.
He explained that the tests will include 45 people who are healthy volunteers, and will be conducted in the “Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute”, where participants will receive different doses of the vaccine, which was designed by the National Institutes of Health in the United States “NIH” in cooperation with The company “Moderna Inc”.
The source stressed that “the possibility of infection of the participants in the test is excluded, because copies of the vaccine do not contain the virus,” noting that “the task of the experiment is to ensure that the vaccine does not lead to any serious side effects, which will allow the transition to wider trials.”
The agency quoted that, in conjunction with that, the American company “Inovio Pharmaceuticals” is launching vaccine tests designed by it in the coming April with the participation of dozens of volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania and the testing center in Kansas City, Missouri.
But several sources in the American health sector confirmed to the “AP” that the introduction of any possible vaccine against the emerging virus Corona in the market and start the process of distribution among the needy, will require time ranging from 12 to 18 months.
The World Health Organization confirmed, in late January 2020, that the danger posed by the spread of the new type of corona virus is an emergency for the world, calling for taking the necessary measures at the international level to confront the disease.
In view of the accelerating spread of the virus, which has reached more than 130 countries, the organization classified the outbreak on March 11, a general epidemic, and up to this point recorded 169,605 cases in the world, including 6518 deaths and 77775 cases of recovery.
Source: AP + Agencies
