Russia’s homegrown Covid-19 vaccine will create immunity for more than two years, according to the director of Moscow’s Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed the drug with the Ministry of Defense. Alexander Ginzburg, the research center’s director, explained that the vaccine will be administered to humans twice – …
Read More »COVID-19 vaccine reaches phase-2 trials in China
An inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has entered phase-2 clinical trials in China, the Science and Technology Daily reported Saturday. The phase-2 trials, which further evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the vaccine in humans, are conducted …
Read More »China company says its vaccine could be complete by ‘autumn’
A China-based pharmaceutical company claims its COVID-19 vaccine candidate is proving to be safe and effective on humans so far, citing early research. A senior member of the company said the vaccine could finish the last phase of human testing as early as this fall. “The vaccine shows [protection] on …
Read More »An existing polio vaccine could help protect against coronavirus, experts say
As the world races to produce an effective Covid-19 vaccine, some experts are turning their attention to a polio vaccine as a way to provide temporary protection against coronavirus. There is plenty of evidence that existing inoculations such as polio vaccines protect children against a wide range of infections and …
Read More »Vaccine summit exceeds target to raise almost £7bn
Almost £7bn has been raised to immunise 300 million children at a virtual global vaccine summit hosted by the UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said up to eight million lives would be saved as a result of the funds pledged at the Gavi vaccine summit on Thursday. The money will …
Read More »European Commission pledges €300 million for global vaccine access
The European Commission is pledging €300 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Commission announced on Thursday. Gavi is a Swiss-based global public-private partnership aiming to improve access to vaccines in poor countries. “It will help immunize 300 million children around the world and finance vaccine stockpiles to shield against …
Read More »First results from UK’s Recovery COVID-19 drug trial expected in early July
The first results from the world’s largest randomized trial of drugs to treat COVID-19 patients could be available in early July, one of the scientists leading the UK-based study called Recovery said on Tuesday. The first data from the study, which is testing a selection of existing drugs, is likely …
Read More »France, Italy, Belgium act to stop use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 on safety fears
France, Italy, and Belgium acted to halt the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, amid questions about the safety of the generic anti-malaria drug. France on Wednesday canceled a decree allowing hospital doctors to dispense the medicine, while the Italian …
Read More »Coronavirus Vaccine Trial by Moderna Shows Promising Early Results
The first coronavirus vaccine to be tested in people appears to be safe and able to stimulate an immune response against the virus, its manufacturer, Moderna announced on Monday. The findings are based on results from the first eight people who each received two doses of the vaccine, starting in …
Read More »Animal trial offers hope for coronavirus vaccine
A vaccine against coronavirus appears to have provided protection against the disease Covid-19 in six rhesus macaque monkeys. It gives early to hope for the vaccine, which is now undergoing human clinical trials. There is no guarantee this result will translate to people, though. The animals who had been given …
Read More »EU Insists Coronavirus Vaccine Be Available To All
The EU insisted Thursday that any vaccine against coronavirus must be available fairly to all countries after French drug giant Sanofi said it was reserving first shipments for the US. “The vaccine against COVID-19 should be a global public good and its access needs to be equitable and universal,” European …
Read More »Johnson & Johnson aims to produce 1 billion coronavirus vaccines by next year
Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson is looking to produce a billion coronavirus vaccines for next year, according to Dr. Paul Stoffels, the company’s chief scientific officer. “We start clinical trials in September and hopefully have data by the end of the year,” Stoffels said Sunday on ABC, adding that the …
Read More »Italian scientists claim to have developed world’s first coronavirus vaccine
Italian researchers claim to have developed a vaccine that can neutralize the coronavirus in human cells. Tests carried out at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases, generated antibodies in mice that work in human cells. “This is the most advanced stage of testing of a candidate vaccine …
Read More »Neutralizing antibody; new virus details to aid vaccine research
The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. An antibody that “neutralizes” the novel coronavirus Researchers said they have produced a monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the new …
Read More »Trump pushes reopening of economy, warns virus could kill 100,000 Americans
Pushing to reopen the economy, US President Donald Trump insists that states can gradually lift lockdowns and still protect people from the coronavirus pandemic, even as he’s also suggesting US deaths could reach 100,000. The president, fielding questions from Americans Sunday night in a virtual town hall from the Lincoln …
Read More »Virus toll nears 200,000 as UN pushes for global vaccine effort
The global coronavirus death toll approached 200,000 on Saturday as the United Nations launched an international push for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic. Governments around the world are struggling to limit the economic devastation unleashed by the virus, which has infected nearly 2.8 million people and left half of …
Read More »WHO warns lifting of coronavirus lockdowns must be gradual
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections. Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for …
Read More »EU to hold donor conference on coronavirus vaccine
The European Union is set to hold an online fund-raising conference next month to support the creation of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The conference will be held on May 4 in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at …
Read More »Coronavirus: Potential vaccine generates enough antibodies to fight off virus, study suggests
A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by US scientists has been found to produce antibodies capable of fighting off COVID-19 in the first peer-reviewed study of its kind. The vaccine, which was tested on mice by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, generated the antibodies in quantities thought …
Read More »$1 Billion for Exclusive Rights to Coronavirus Vaccine?
German media reports that US Pres. Trump made a $1 billion offer to German pharma company CureVac for exclusive rights to coronavirus vaccine. Across the world, pharmaceutical companies are racing to find and develop a vaccine effective against coronavirus, and in recent days, this has led to a confrontation between …
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