The first human clinical trial for a potential vaccine against the novel coronavirus is slated to begin Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Drugmaker Moderna, working in concert with the National Institutes of Health, developed the brand new vaccination. The nascent trial will test the effects of the experimental shot, which makes use of neither an active nor inactive sample of the virus, known formally as COVID-19.
While many vaccines contain a small dosage of the virus it’s intended to ward off, this particular vaccination will instead use a gene-based method that implements messenger RNA to spark an immune response in those who receive the shot.
Initially, Moderna’s trials were not supposed to begin until April. But as the pandemic continues to evolve, testing was fast-tracked. However, according to public health officials, it will still be between one year and 18 months before the drug is potentially ready for public consumption.
Testing will involve 45 young, healthy volunteers who will receive varying doses of the vaccination developed by Moderna and the NIH.
There are dozens of research and pharmaceutical groups working around the clock to develop a vaccination for this novel coronavirus, for which there is no antidote or natural immunity, as is the case with the seasonal flu.
Some groups, it should be noted, are working to develop temporary vaccinations that could last between one and two months — an effort to buy time for researchers to find a longer-lasting vaccine.
According to the World Health Organization, the vast majority of people infected with COVID-19 will recover within about two weeks. However, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised in any way could become critically ill as a result of the virus.
This is a helpful chart explaining symptoms of COVID-19:
Those who are feeling ill with the symptoms of this coronavirus should quarantine themselves and avoid leaving their homes, except to seek medical care.