Washington (USA) – The first COVID-19 vaccine to be tested on people in the USA appears to be safe and is able to stimulate an immune response against the virus’, its manufacturer, Moderna announced on 18th May. This is the first test done on humans in the USA. These tests had begun in March. Eight volunteers received two doses of the vaccine. No adverse effects can be seen on their bodies and the immunity to fight the virus has also increased. ‘The vaccine was able to stop the virus from replicating – the key requirement for an effective vaccine’, Moderna said. The vaccine is currently named mRNA-1273.
The second phase of tests involving 600 healthy volunteers will begin soon. Amongst these 600 volunteers, half would be from the age group of 18 to 55 years and the other half would be above 55 years of age. The third phase will begin in July involving 1,000 people.