Human trial of coronavirus vaccine to begin, says official

The first batch of participants in a trial for a vaccine against Covid-19 will on Monday be administered an experimental dose. A US government official says the trial will involve 45 young, healthy individuals who will be given shots of the vaccine.

The trial will take place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.

Participants cannot become infected from the shots because they do not contain the virus. The move has not been publically announced.

According to AP, the vaccine was developed by the company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, which is also funding the trial. It is expected to take a year to 18 months, before any vaccine could be ready for widespread use.

(With inputs from agencies)