Chinese researchers announced that they have started the second trial of their potential coronavirus vaccine, the Institute of Medical Biology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS) said on Sunday, as per a Reuters report.

The team will further assess the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.

About a dozen vaccines are in different stages of human tests globally, as the World Health Organization warns the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating and “the world is in a new and dangerous phase”.

However, none of the vaccine trials have passed large-scale, late-stage phase 3 clinical trials, a necessary step before getting regulatory approval for sale, the Reuters report added.

IMBCAMS began on Saturday a phase-2 human test for its experimental shot. The vaccine is one among the six vaccines, Chinese researchers are developing against the coronavirus

The first phase of the testing recruited around 200 individuals to participate in the test in May, the institute said on Sunday on its social media channel.

The phase-2 trial will continue to focus on the immune responses in healthy people while determining the shot’s dose.

IMBCAMS said it expects to use a plant dedicated to producing a coronavirus vaccine this year to prepare for China’s future vaccine supplies.

“As early as by the end of 2020, certain groups of people with special needs can use experimental vaccines under urgent circumstances,” said Gao Fu, director at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, last month.

The coronavirus, which was first detected in China late in 2019, has already infected around 8.81 million people across the globe and claimed the lives of over 460,000 people.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW