China gives go-ahead for human trials of potential Covid-19 vaccine - state media

Beijing - China has given the go-ahead

for researchers to begin human safety tests of an experimental

coronavirus vaccine in the race to develop a shot against the

Covid-19 epidemic that has killed more than 7,000 people

worldwide.

Researchers at China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences - affiliated to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)

- received approval to launch early-stage clinical trials of the

potential vaccine starting this week, the ruling Communist

Party's People's Daily reported on Tuesday.

Scientists in the United States said on Monday that clinical

trials had begun for a vaccine developed by its National

Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the US biotech firm Moderna.

Details in the Chinese clinical trial registration database

show that a "Phase 1" test that will examine whether

experimental shot is safe in humans aims to recruit 108 healthy

people to take part between March 16 and December 31.

The trial will be conducted by China's Academy of Military

Medical Sciences and the Hong Kong-listed biotech firm CanSino

Biologics, the database showed.

Experts at the World Health Organization say they do not

expect any fully tested and approved vaccine to reach the market

until the middle of next year.