Researchers in Seattle gave the first experimental coronavirus vaccine on human volunteers Monday, a study that launched in "record speed" as the Trump administration sought to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
Jennifer Haller, 43, was the first healthy participant of the trial to receive the potential COVID-19 vaccine at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle. Washington state has been hit hard by the virus.
"We all feel so helpless; this is an amazing opportunity for me to do something," Haller said.
After leaving the exam room, Haller said she was "feeling great."
Later, on MSNBC she told Ari Melber she will have to do daily logs of her temperature, symptoms and side effects. She will be monitored for 14 months.
"We're team coronavirus now," Kaiser Permanente study leader Dr. Lisa Jackson said on the eve of the experiment. "Everyone wants to do what they can in this emergency."
Three other participants also received a dose of the vaccine on Monday, and 45 volunteers are expected to participate in the study. Still, the potential vaccine won’t be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months, according to Fauci.
More than 182,00 people worldwide have been infected by the virus and more than 7,000 have died. In the U.S., at least 3,847 people have been infected and at least 68 people have died.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the new study, "launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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