Vaccine search sees progress

A vaccine against COVID-19 has successfully boosted patients’ immune systems, researchers said on Tuesday. The 45 early volunteers developed neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream, the team reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. The National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. formed a partnership to develop the vaccine. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert.

What are the next steps? Researchers will begin final testing of the vaccine around July 27. They will track 30,000 people to confirm whether getting the shot helped to prevent contracting the coronavirus. The government hopes to have the results by the end of the year. The vaccination requires two doses and caused flu-like reactions that lasted about a day in about half of the volunteers.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD medical correspondent Dr. Charles Horton’s analysis of the U.S. government’s race to find a COVID-19 vaccine.