China to begin COVID vaccine trials on healthy humans

Beijing: A day after US-initiated clinical trials for Coronavirus vaccine on Human subjects, China has directed researchers to begin the experimental trials on tests subjects in the country.

The United States of America on Monday was the first country to initiate clinical trials on healthy humans with 45 volunteers lining up to get their shots, co-developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Moderna In.

According to sources from the Communist Party’s People Daily today, the Researchers at China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences which is affiliated to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)  were granted approval to begin early-stage clinical trials of the potential vaccine starting this week.

“Some vaccines for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are expected to enter clinical trials as soon as possible in China,” said Chinese officials during a news conference in Beijing, reported Xinhua news.

“So far, most teams are expected to complete preclinical research in April and some are moving forward faster,” said Wang Junzhi, a scholar  with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, reporters in China.

A health official from the region told reporters a vaccine is under development in Shanghai will be launched by mid-April.

According to the Chinese database, the authorities aim to recruit 108 healthy human subjects to experiment these clinical shots.