Coronavirus: US Volunteers to Test First Vaccine

The first human trial of a vaccine to protect against pandemic coronavirus is starting in the US later on Monday, according to reports.

A group of 45 healthy volunteers will have the jab, at the Kaiser Permanente research facility, in Seattle.

The vaccine cannot cause Covid-19 but contains a harmless genetic code copied from the virus that causes the disease.

Experts say it will still take many months to know if this vaccine, or others also in research, will work.

Scientists around the world are fast-tracking research.

And this first human trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, sidesteps a check that would normally be conducted - making sure the vaccine can trigger an immune response in animals.

But the biotechnology company behind the work, Moderna Therapeutics, says the vaccine has been made using a tried and tested process.

Dr John Tregoning, an expert in infectious diseases at Imperial College London, UK, said: "This vaccine uses pre-existing technology.

"It's been made to a very high standard, using things that we know are safe to use in people and those taking part in the trial will be very closely monitored.

"Yes, this is very fast - but it is a race against the virus, not against each other as scientists, and it's being done for the benefit of humanity."

Typical vaccines for viruses, such as measles, are made from a weakened or killed virus.

But the mRNA-1273 vaccine is not made from the virus that causes Covid-19.

Instead, it includes a short segment of genetic code copied from the virus that scientists have been able to make in a laboratory.

This will hopefully prime the body's own immune system to fight off the real infection.

The volunteers will be given different doses of the experimental vaccine.

They will each be given two jabs in total, 28 days apart, into the upper arm muscle.

But even if these initial safety tests go well, it could still take up to 18 months for any potential vaccine to become available for the public.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has proposed a temporary ban on non-essential travel to the European Union.

The measure would initially last for 30 days, and long-term residents in the EU, family members of EU nationals and diplomats would be exempt as well as cross-border and healthcare workers and people transporting goods.

The restriction would initially be a decision for the states part of the Schengen agreement on free travel between European countries. Non-Schengen members - including the UK - would be invited to take part.

Latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures list 164,000 confirmed cases and 6,470 deaths worldwide.

However, last week it said Europe was now the "epicentre" of the virus and urged governments to act aggressively to control the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Leaders of the G7 nations are to hold a video conference on Monday to discuss a joint response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Central banks around the world, including the US Federal Reserve and those in the UK, Japan, Canada, and Switzerland have cut interest rates and taken other measures to try to curb the economic turmoil.

But stock markets in Asia and Europe still fell and, on Wall St, trading was temporarily halted after the S&P 500 index dropped 8% on opening. It was the third time in six days that the session was interrupted.

The EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said a recession was now expected, with a 2-2.5% negative growth.

Airlines are also continuing to slash flights as demand slumps.

FROM  .bbc.com/news/health