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Americans are furthest ahead in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus
American scientists have developed the first vaccine against the coronavirus.
The vaccine will now be administered to the first people as part of a clinical testing program. Americans thus significantly raise hope in the global fight against the insidious coronavirus that causes the serious respiratory disease COVID-19; however, it may take more than a year before a functional and safe vaccine reaches people.
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Americans have developed a vaccine against the coronavirus that is now entering the phase of clinical testing. The first 45 healthy people have already been accepted into the clinical trial program in Seattle, USA, on whom it should be verified that the substance in the vaccine does not have side effects. The vaccine itself does not contain the virus, so people cannot become infected during the clinical tests.
The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, was developed by scientists at biotechnology company Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in collaboration with experts from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, scientific teams around the world are working on vaccine development using the most advanced technologies.
A total of 45 healthy people aged 18 to 55 were selected for the clinical trial program, who will be tested for the substance contained in the new vaccine for at least 6 weeks. The first of the participants has already received the vaccine and others will follow during this week.
At present there is no available treatment or vaccine against the coronavirus. The coronavirus causes the disease known as COVID-19, which since the end of December, when it first appeared in China, has infected more than 175,000 people worldwide.
„Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection is an urgent public health priority,“ said Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the NIH.
Coronaviruses are spherical and spikes protrude from their surface, giving them an appearance reminiscent of the sun’s corona.
The tip of these spikes functions as the mechanism by which the virus attaches to human cells and penetrates the whole organism.
The new vaccine carries genetic information similar to the virus in a substance called messenger RNA, which should elicit an immune response in the body and create antibodies in the vaccinated individual.
