US start first test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine
SEATTLE (AP) —
U.S. researchers gave the first shots in a first test of an experimental
coronavirus vaccine Monday, leading off a worldwide hunt for protection
even as the pandemic surges.
With careful jabs
in the arms of four healthy volunteers, scientists at the Kaiser
Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle began an anxiously
awaited first-stage study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed in
record time after the new virus exploded out of China and fanned out
across the globe.
The Associated
Press observed as the study’s first participant, an operations manager
at a small tech company, received the injection in an exam room.
“We all feel so
helpless. This is an amazing opportunity for me to do something,”
Jennifer Haller, 43, of Seattle said before getting vaccinated. Her two
teenagers “think it’s cool” that she’s taking part in the study.
After the injection, she left the exam room with a big smile: “I’m feeling great.”
Three others were next in line for a test that will ultimately give 45 volunteers two doses, a month apart.
Neal Browning, 46,
of Bothell, Washington, is a Microsoft network engineer who says his
young daughters are proud he volunteered.
“Every parent
wants their children to look up to them,” he said. But he’s told them
not to brag to their friends. “It’s other people, too. It’s not just Dad
out there.”
Monday’s milestone
marked just the beginning of a series of studies in people needed to
prove whether the shots are safe and could work. Even if the research
goes well, a vaccine would not be available for widespread use for 12 to
18 months, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of
Health.
At a news
conference, President Donald Trump praised how quickly the research had
progressed. Fauci noted that 65 days have passed since Chinese
scientists shared the virus’ genetic sequence. He said he believed that
was a record for developing a vaccine to test.
The Seattle
experiment got underway days after the World Health Organization
declared the new virus outbreak a pandemic because of its rapid global
spread, which has infected more than 169,000 people and killed more than
6,500.
Source:
Voice Of Europe