Beijing: China has begun the first phase of a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the country’s military scientists even as scientists race to find a cure for the deadly disease. The vaccine trial came after US announced last week that it had started the phase 1 clinical trial of the wold’s first coronavirus vaccine called mRNA-1273.
The new coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, first detected in Wuhan, China, has killed at least 14,396 so far across 171 countries and territories and infected 324,290 people as the deadly virus continues to spread across the world. According to a filing in China’s Clinical Trial Registry, dated March 17, the trial is expected to continue until the end of the year.
On Saturday, the Science and Technology Daily reported that the first batch of volunteers – aged between 18 and 60 and who are all Wuhan permanent residents – has been divided into three groups, each consisting of 36 members. The 108 participants, who will be quarantined for 14 days, will be given different dosages. They will be monitored by researchers for six months for any adverse reactions.