First COVID-19 Vaccine To Be Tested On Humans Is Successful, Sparking Hope For The Pandemic’s End

The first vaccine to be tested on humans to fight the novel

 coronavirus 

has shown to be successful in stimulating antibodies for the disease. The drugmaker behind the vaccine, Moderna, made the auspicious announcement early Monday morning. Though further trials will be needed before the 

vaccine 

can be offered to the public, the success of the first trial has sparked the hope of mass immunization by late 2020 or early 2021.

According toThe New York Times, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based drug maker came to the results after testing eight healthy volunteers with two doses of the medication in March.

The eight participants were found to have created COVID-19 antibodies after receiving the shots. The antibodies were then tested in human cells in the lab and managed to stop COVID-19 from replicating. In addition, the levels of the antibodies in the eight individuals were the same as those in people had contracted and recovered from the disease.

The encouraging results were compounded by Moderna’s concurrent experiment in mice. The mice that were vaccinated with the new drug were able to stop the virus from replicating in their lungs.

Though most drug trials usually have to go through a lengthy process of experimentation before testing on humans, Moderna is operating on an accelerated timetable due to the seriousness of the COIVD-19 pandemic.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has already given approval for the company to begin its phase two testing, which will expand the trial to 600 people. A third phase will then commence in July if the results continue to be promising.

Dr. Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said that it was his hope that a vaccine could be available to the public by late 2020 or early 2021.

Alexander Koerner / Getty ImagesInterestingly, Moderna claimed that the dosage level of the drug appeared to have little effect on its effectiveness. As a result, higher dosages will be excluded in the next round. Moreover, it is good news as lower dosages means that the vaccine can be dispersed to a greater number of people when it finally becomes available.

“The lower the dose, the more vaccine we’ll be able to make,” Dr. Zaks explained.

Moderna’s potential vaccine is not the only one currently in the works. As many as seven other companies are also working on development with serious contenders on the horizon.

As deaths rise and the economic fallout from the pandemic continues, the race for a vaccine has become more important than ever. Already, 315,000 people have died worldwide from the disease. In addition, chairman of the Federal Reserve has warned that the United States economy will not recover by the end of 2020, as was previously covered byThe Inquisitr.