By Nsunjo Erica
US researchers reported that the first COVID-19 vaccine tested boosted up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped and that the shots are poised to begin key final testing.
The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step around July 27: A 30,000-person study to prove if the shots are strong enough to protect against the virus.
The immune systems of the first 45 volunteers who were shot with the vaccine back in March prove that the vaccine provided a hoped-for immune boost according to reports released by US researchers.
According to reports, those early volunteers developed what are called neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream, molecules key to blocking infection, at levels comparable to those found in people who survived COVID-19.
The vaccine requires two doses, a month apart, the US government hopes to have results around the end of the year which is the record-setting speed for developing a vaccine.
There were no serious side effects but more than half the study participants reported flu-like reactions to the shots that aren’t uncommon with other vaccines, fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and pain at the injection site.
Some of those reactions are similar to coronavirus symptoms but they’re temporary, lasting about a day and occur right after vaccination, researchers noted.
According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 21 vaccines currently under trial worldwide whereby every country and every lab is taking a different approach to finding the right solution to stop COVID-19.
Russia also recently just completed its first COVID-19 vaccine trials on humans and it proved that the vaccine is safe, however, there was no other information on when this vaccine would enter commercial production.