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Amid a massive global surge in the COVID-19 positive cases, US researchers conducted the first human trial of a vaccine against the virus on Monday, March 16.
43-year-old mother-of-two, Jennifer Haller, had the jab at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, reported the Associated Press.
Four patients received the shots at the research institute in Seattle, Washington.
"We all feel so helpless. This is an amazing opportunity for me to do something," Jennifer told the AP.
According to the reports, the main objective of the first set of tests is to find out if the vaccine is safe. If it is, later the studies would determine how well it works.
The vaccine cannot cause COVID-19 but contains a harmless genetic code copied from the virus that causes the disease and is expected to equip the body's own immune system to fight the real virus.
During the process, the volunteers were given different doses of the experimental vaccine. They will be given two jabs in total, 28 days apart.
However, the experts are of the opinion that it will still take many months to know if this vaccine, or others also in research, will work.
The researchers have carefully picked some healthy volunteers who will get higher dosages than others to test the endurance and how strong the shots need to be. Any possible side effects will be monitored and the blood samples will be drawn to test if the vaccine is boosting the immune system or not.
Reportedly, one of the researches said that the outcome of the vaccine trial is uncertain, whether it will induce an immune response or is safe, needs to be observed. It was also said that due to the trial's unpredictability it would not be possible or prudent to give the vaccine to the general population.
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