Coronavirus: the first vaccine is ready to be tested on humans

Great news regarding the Coronavirus epidemic, which is now reaching Europe and several other countries around the world, an American laboratory has announced that it has created a vaccine ready to be tested on humans. The first experiments could start as early as April.

If this is not an immediate response to the epidemic of Coronavirus which now affects the whole world, it is, in any case, an encouraging first step towards the eradication of Covid-19. Provided the tests are conclusive.

Coronavirus: Clinical tests for this Covid-19 vaccine will start in April

The American pharmaceutical company Moderna has announced that it has developed a vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus. They will start tests on humans in April and in the best of cases the results will start to appear from July. However, it must prove two essential elements: its effectiveness and its harmlessness, that is to say its non-toxicity to humans. The company has already supplied samples to the American health authorities in order to obtain a green light for the study.

Although the development of this vaccine is much faster than previously envisaged by the scientific community, only 3 months it took between genome sequencing and phase 1, we should not expect to find it soon available in the pharmacy. Indeed, the studies necessary for the development of a vaccine are particularly long, especially for everything related to adverse effects. A botched study could lead to catastrophic results. Ideally, the vaccine would be on the market in the winter of 2021.

At the same time, a vaccine in development by a Hong Kong team could also start testings in China at the end of April. Other studies are underway such as the transfusion of plasma from cured people to the most affected patients. In France, Sanofi estimates that it will take 6 months to develop a vaccine, followed by a year and a half of clinical trials. The Institut Pasteur is seeking to modify the measles vaccine. They estimate 4 to 5 months of animal testing before considering switching to humans.