US COVID-19 Vaccine Human Trials Begin... "One Month Ahead of Schedule"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Human trials for a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine are set to begin in the United States.

On the 16th (local time), the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine would commence at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. The six-week vaccine trial will be conducted on 45 healthy adults. The ages of the trial participants range from 18 to 55 years old.

The first volunteer received the vaccine injection on the day. They are scheduled to receive two doses of the vaccine at one-month intervals, with varying amounts.

Animal testing has already been completed, and this clinical trial is the first experiment involving humans.

The vaccine used in this clinical trial is mRNA-1273, developed in collaboration between the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the biotech company Moderna.

Previously, NIAID had announced plans to begin clinical trials in April, but the schedule has been advanced by about a month. At that time, NIAID expected the clinical trial results to be available in July or August, but with the accelerated schedule, the results are also expected sooner.

However, it is anticipated that it will take more than a year before the general public can receive the vaccine. The second phase of clinical trials will take 6 to 8 months, and the vaccine must pass the final clinical trials before it can be marketed, according to U.S. government officials.

Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID, stated, "Finding a safe and effective vaccine is an urgent public health priority," adding, "This clinical trial is proceeding at a record-breaking pace. This will be the first major step toward achieving our goal."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.