The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicine, has authorized the first clinical trial of a vaccine against COVID-19 in Germany.
The candidate vaccine from the biotechnology company BioNTech in Mainz is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) vaccine.
In the first part of the licensed clinical trial, 200 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 will be vaccinated. The testing of the candidate vaccines in humans is an important step towards the development of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19.
Dr. Marylyn Addo is convinced that the candidate vaccine will not be available until 2021. However, she says that science will beat this virus. “We’ve already lived with other corona viruses here in Germany. In this respect, I am convinced that we will also master this situation. “She said in an interview with a German deutschlandfunk media.
Other phases of vaccine testing
The first clinical trials are designed to test the body’s tolerance to the substance concerned. They also assess the response of the immune system and monitor adverse effects.
After a period of observation, additional volunteers in the same age group will be vaccinated in the second part of the clinical trial.
The second phase of trials usually takes place in a part of the world affected by the disease. Participants are people at risk.
The final phase affects several thousand individuals with a broad health profile.
This is the fourth human trial of a covid-19 vaccine in the world. One trial is being conducted on a future U.S. vaccine and two others are Chinese. Approximately 115 vaccine projects are currently underway.
Gérard Rugambwa
