Tag: vaccine

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine worked well in monkeys: study

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response and prevented the coronavirus from replicating in the noses and lungs of monkeys, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine said Tuesday. The fact that the vaccine prevented the virus from replicating in the nose is seen as particularly crucial in preventing it from being transmitted onward to others. The same outcome did not occur when […]

US to buy 100 million doses of potential virus vaccine

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — The US government has agreed to pay almost $2 billion for 100 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine, German firm BioNTech said on Wednesday. BioNTech, which is developing the drug with US pharma giant Pfizer, said in a statement that American people would receive the future vaccine “for free” in line with the Trump administration’s “commitment for free access for COVID-19 vaccines”. Under the agreement, the US government […]

Chinese COVID-19 vaccine starts final tests in Brazil

  BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — A Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus entered the final stage of testing Tuesday in Brazil, where volunteers received the first doses of what officials hope will be a game-changer in the global pandemic. The vaccine, developed by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, became the third in the world to enter Phase 3 clinical trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval. “We’re living […]

Brazil set to test Chinese coronavirus vaccine

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil will begin advanced clinical testing of a Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus Tuesday, issuing the first doses to around 900 volunteers, officials said. The coronavirus vaccine, developed by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, is the third in the world to enter Phase 3 trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval. It will be administered to doctors and other health workers who volunteer […]

Vaccine studies offer new hope as WHO warns on Africa

  by James Pheby with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two studies offered new hope of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus on Monday, as the World Health Organization warned about a possible acceleration of the disease in Africa. Seven months after COVID-19 was first identified in China and has since killed more than 600,000 people worldwide and battered economies, there is growing alarm over fresh outbreaks of the […]

UK secures 90 million doses of potential cornavirus vaccines

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain has secured access to 90 million doses of potential coronavirus vaccines in deals with biotech firms BioNTech, Pfizer and Valneva, the government said Monday. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said Britain would now have access to three different types of vaccines being developed domestically and around the world, and it had also launched a website for volunteers to sign up for vaccine studies. “The hunt to find a vaccine is […]

Millions face new virus curbs, but hope rises for US vaccine

  by Qasim Nauman, with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse Millions of people faced new coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday as infections surge, but in one sign of hope, an American firm said it would soon start final-stage human trials for a possible vaccine. Countries around the world re-imposed lockdowns and curbs to contain new outbreaks, as global cases surged past 13.2 million with more than 576,000 deaths. Parts of the Asia-Pacific region, which had been […]

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine enters final stage trial July 27: statement

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US biotech firm Moderna said Tuesday it would enter the final stage of its human trials for its COVID-19 vaccine on July 27, after promising early results were published in a journal. The Phase 3 trial will recruit 30,000 participants in the US, with half to receive the vaccine at 100 microgram dose levels, and the other half will receive a placebo. It is designed to learn whether the […]

US awards $1.6 billion to Novavax for COVID-19 vaccine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US on Tuesday announced it was providing $1.6 billion in funding for the development and manufacture of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate produced by biotech firm Novavax, the largest amount awarded under Operation Warp Speed. Separately, the US also said it was providing $450 million to Regeneron for its experimental COVID-19 treatment and prophylaxis, a combination of two antibodies. Under the terms of its agreement with the Department of Health […]

Brazil to become testing ground for coronavirus vaccine

by Louis GENOT RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil may be struggling in its battle against the coronavirus, but it is on the cutting edge of vaccine development with large-scale trials and the production of millions of doses on the horizon. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the Latin American nation — a situation underlined when President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive on Tuesday — creating the necessary conditions for testing a vaccine’s efficiency. Brazil, which […]

Chinese coronavirus vaccine approved for military use

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s military has approved a coronavirus vaccine for use within its ranks that has been developed by its research unit and a biotech firm, the company said Monday. Organisations around the world are racing to find ways to treat and prevent the deadly pathogen, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has since killed over half a million people worldwide. More than half of 17 candidate vaccines […]

Fauci confident in vaccine efforts, predicts no more US lockdowns

by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States does not need more widespread lockdowns to bring its COVID-19 outbreak under control, despite the fact that the national daily infection rate has stayed flat, leading government expert Anthony Fauci said Thursday. Speaking to AFP, the physician-scientist added he was optimistic the world would soon have a vaccine that would end the pandemic, calling early trial results “encouraging.” “I don’t think we’re going to […]