US is making its own coronavirus strain for human challenge trials

[Jacob Siegal]

• According to Reuters, US scientists are attempting to manufacture a strain of the novel coronavirus that they could use to intentionally infect participants in human challenge trials.
• Human challenge trials "are trials in which participants are intentionally challenged with an infectious disease organism," according to the World Health Organization.
• Even if challenge trials for vaccines become necessary, it could take over a year to set them up.

As tens of thousands of Americans continue to test positive for the novel coronavirus each and every day, it's as clear as ever that without a vaccine, this pandemic is going to be affecting the way we live our lives for months to come -- if not longer. Therefore, US government scientists have begun manufacturing a strain of the novel coronavirus for use in human challenge trials of vaccines, should they become necessary, Reuters reports.

Human challenge trials, which have been a hot topic of discussion since the viral outbreak in China began sweeping across the globe, are trials in which healthy participants are vaccinated and then injected with the coronavirus to see whether or not they get sick. This obviously speeds up the process quite significantly, but if the vaccine is ineffective, the participants will have to deal with whatever symptoms they develop from being infected.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. 10 deals you don’t want to miss on Saturday: Amazon’s BIG Summer Sale, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, ice cream maker, more
2. Today’s best deals: Rare chance to get Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, 48¢ face masks, smart TV sale, Belkin blowout, more
3. Experts say more grocery hoarding is coming – stock up on these 5 things while you can

Trending Right Now:

1. CDC finally revealed how long coronavirus immunity lasts – and it looks like bad news
2. The coronavirus has a weakness you can easily exploit, according to Fauci
3. You might be surprised at this new coronavirus advice from Dr. Fauci

US is making its own coronavirus strain for human challenge trials originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 at 18:04:07 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Via BRG - Boy Genius Report