Published 18:49 IST, March 16th 2020
Coronavirus Expert Dr Fauci REVEALS INSIGHTS into the Coronavirus vaccine human trials
The Coronavirus vaccine has been formulated and will soon be tested on humans. Dr Anthoni Fauci has revealed detailed information about the vaccine. Find out.
The vaccine to the COVID-19 pandemic has been formulated. According to the US health officials, the human trials of this potential Coronavirus vaccine could begin “within a few weeks.” The authorities further said that the vaccine will be ready for public use within 12 to 18 months.
Has the Coronavirus vaccine been found? When will the first test on humans begin?
At a hearing on the nation’s preparedness for the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the United States of America has revealed that the Coronavirus vaccine will take two to three months to be ready for testing it on a human. He told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that within a few weeks, the scientists working for a vaccine may be able to announce that the vaccine for COVID-19 has been tried on a human. The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives.
Dr Anthony Fauci and his team of scientists, under the National Institutes of Health, has been working with the biotech company 'Moderna' to develop a vaccine that tackles the Coronavirus pandemic. According to this COVID-19 expert, the prepared vaccine contains genetic material 'Messenger RNA' or 'mRNA'. The mRNA was produced in the lab and is capable of helping cells to know how to make a protein. It was found in the outer coating of the new Coronavirus.
The major work of the mRNA is that it instructs the body’s cellular mechanisms to make proteins that mimic the virus proteins. This builds an immune response of the body to COVID-19.
When will the Coronavirus vaccine be available for public use?
In a statement made in the conference, Dr Anthoni Fauci said that it is too early to say that they have found a vaccine for the pandemic, as it is just a theory at this stage. He mentioned that they can only say that the research is progressing and "it's record time to get it tested." The head scientist also stated that it may take a year or more to know if the formulated vaccine works or not.
The outbreak of Coronavirus has proven to be dangerous to mankind. So far, it is responsible for the death of more than 5000 people. The number of affected individuals have crossed the number of 132,000 people worldwide. The virus that started from the Chinese city of Wuhan has spread across the world in no time.
The National Institute has announced that their team of doctors are going to test the Coronavirus Vaccine on 26 volunteers. The tests will begin on March 16, 2020, i.e. Monday. These tests will reveal if the vaccine will be able to cure patients effectively. Once the vaccine tests' conclusions are positive, the NIH will start the production of it on a large scale.
Scientists around the globe are trying their best to find a cure or vaccine to tackle this problem. The news of Israel scientist finding a vaccine to cure COVID-19 went viral on the internet. But, the Defense Ministry of Israel has reportedly denied the reports about developing a Coronavirus vaccine. It is better to prevent the spread of the pandemic by taking precautionary measures stated by the WHO.
Updated 18:49 IST, March 16th 2020