It seems like the United States is ready with its first vaccine for coronavirus that will be tested on humans. The vaccine has been made by Moderna, a manufacturer in Massachusetts, who tested the vaccine on humans and it seems like it has given positive results. The vaccine has been tested on about 8 people and all of them have showed immune response.
In the month of March, the volunteers received two doses of the vaccine and made anti-bodies that were then tested on human cells in a lab. It was found that the anti-bodies were able to stop the virus from replicating. The researchers working behind the vaccine also found that the anti-bodies that were produced were similar to that were found in the patients who recovered from COVID-19. It was also found that the vaccine showed a dose response, which means that people who received higher doses had high levels of anti-bodies.
After the positive results, the vaccine by Moderna has got a go-ahead for the second stage of human testing. It was last week when the regulators in the United States gave a fast track status to the vaccine that will help to speed up the review. The United States is one of the countries which has been worst affected of the virus. As of May, 2020, about 18,89,636 people have died of the virus. Stephane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna said that they are investing to increase the production of the vaccine so they can have maximum number of doses that can be produced to help as many people as possible. The company is also aiming towards the late-stage trial which will be on a larger scale in July.
At the same time, the scientists behind the vaccine are still trying to figure out what level of antibodies will actually protect against the novel coronavirus. They will also have to figure out how long the vaccine will work.
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