A potential coronavirus vaccine developed in China, which has just completed its first phase of human trials, appears to be safe and may protect people from the deadly virus.
As per a report in the New York Times, the participants who received a single dose of the vaccine produced certain immune cells, called T cells, within two weeks and the antibodies needed for immunity peaked at 28 days after the inoculation.
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The first phase of the recombinant adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vectored COVID-19 vaccine was carried out at several laboratories by the researchers and included 108 participants between the age of 18 to 60 years.
The findings of the trials were published in the journal Lancet on Friday.
“The Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine is tolerable and immunogenic at 28 days post-vaccination. Humoral responses against SARS-CoV-2 peaked at day 28 post-vaccination in healthy adults, and rapid specific T-cell responses were noted from day 14 post-vaccination,” the study stated.
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“Our findings suggest that the Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine warrants further investigation,” it added.
The results are based on data from a short period, and it is unclear how long the vaccine’s protection might last.
The researchers tested three doses and said the highest dose seemed to be the most effective.
“The Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine was tolerated in healthy adults in all three dose groups,” the study said.
“The most common adverse reactions were fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain with no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions across the groups,” it added.