China begins clinical trials of vaccine against coronavirus

Clinical trials of a vaccine against a new type of coronavirus have already started in China, "Report" informs citing RIA Novosti.

According to the newspaper "21 Shiji Jingxi Baodao," referencing multiple sources, the official start of trials is yet to be confirmed.

The newspaper specifies that 108 volunteers take part in the trials, divided into three groups of 36 people. The first group of volunteers will be administered a low dose of a vaccine developed in China, the second - the average, the third - high. Clinical trials will take place from March 16 to December 31, 2020.

The first phase of trials has already begun; the vaccine has been administered to volunteers, but the number of it is still unknown. It is known that after the introduction of the vaccine, the participants of the trials will stay in quarantine for 14 days under constant medical supervision. After leaving quarantine, they will be regularly examined for six months to see if there are any side effects and if there are any specific antibodies against the new type of S-protein coronavirus.

The newspaper quotes a volunteer who said that the trials are mostly attended by people aged 18 to 60 who are thoroughly examined, and if they meet all the criteria, they will receive the vaccine they are testing.

The publication also reported that the participants in the first phase of the trial were mainly people from Wuhan, Huangshan, and Dunhu districts of Wuhan City. Some volunteers published vaccination posts on social networks, and one of those who received the vaccine on March 19 reported that most people in his group are 40-50 years old.

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus COVID-19 a pandemic. The official number of registered cases all around the world is 234 thousand, 10 thousand people died.