WED, FEB 26 2020-theG&BJournal- Drug maker Moderna Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that focuses on drug discovery and development, has shipped the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases (NIAID), The Wall Street Journal reports.
There, the federal scientists will investigate and if everything goes well begin clinical trials on human participants as soon as April.
The report said result from first human trial will be available in July or August.
‘’Going into a Phase One trial within three months of getting the sequence is unquestionably the world indoor record,’’ NIAID Director Anthony fauci told the WSJ. ‘’Nothing has ever gone that fast.’’
According to latest numbers released by AP, there are now a total of 81,002 confirmed cases worldwide, and 2,762 dead. South Korea has in 1,146 cases with 11 confirmed dead. Cases in mainland China now total 78,064 and 2,715 deaths.
The Diamond Princess Cruise ship continues to be the major focus of the global outbreak and Japan has come under huge criticism over its handling of the coronavirus afflicted ship. Reports say passengers who were let-off the ship are continuing to develop symptoms and so far 970 passengers who were allowed off the ship last week have all tested negative for COVID-19 illness. Japan has reported 860 cases and 4 deaths. 691 of the confirmed cases are from the Diamond Princess.
Austria (2cases), Croatia (1 case) and Switzerland (1 case) are the latest countries in Europe to declare cases. Germany has highest cases so far in Europe-17 followed by France and the UK with 14 cases/one death and 13 cases respectively. In the US, San Francisco has declared a state of emergency in order to prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak. The city currently has no confirmed cases.
In Africa, Algeria becomes the second country to report a case following Egypt. The Chairperson, African Union Commission H.E Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat warned Monday the continent is already feeling the impact and called for greater corporation to strengthen partnerships and coordination across Africa to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
‘’This epidemic is a human tragedy and it’s already paralyzing economic activities. We are feeling the effects already, because China, one of Africa’s economic partners, is affected. If we do not take urgent actions the socio-economic effects will be huge on Africa and the rest of the world,’’ Faki Mahamat said during the opening meeting of the African Union Ministers of Health on COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Dick Pound, International Olympic Committee member said Tuesday that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will likely be cancelled if the coronavirus outbreak is not contained by late May. Japanese Prime Ministers Wednesday ordered the curb of sports and cultural events for two weeks as the virus spreads in the country.
The Nigerian government has expedited training on infection prevention and control to strengthen preparedness as the outbreak continues to threaten the African continent. The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) assured that it remains committed to working with partners to strengthen preparedness.
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