FINGERS CROSSED

Human Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Begins in Seattle

But it will still take a year or more to bring any vaccine to market.

The first testing of an experimental coronavirus vaccine began on Monday, with four healthy individuals in Seattle receiving the vaccine. According to The New York Times, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the trial, using a vaccine made by Moderna Inc., would determine if the vaccine was safe for humans. The vaccine reportedly uses genetic material, and no vaccine using that technology has been put out to market. Later tests will determine how effective the vaccine is, and a successful trial would still mean the vaccine is at least a year away. Despite the long road ahead, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said the trial was “launched in record speed.”

The current trial will enroll 45 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 55, and each person will receive two shots 28 days apart. Three different doses would be tested among the 45. Participants will be evaluated to see whether the vaccine is safe for humans, and whether their immune systems produce antibodies that can stop the virus from replicating and stopping the illness. Four individuals are slated to get shots on Tuesday, and participants will be tracked for a year.