The first human trials of a vaccine against COVID-19 produced by Japanese researchers will commence on June 30, Hirofumi Yoshimura, the governor of Osaka prefecture, said Wednesday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2020) The first human trials of a vaccine against COVID-19 produced by Japanese researchers will commence on June 30, Hirofumi Yoshimura, the governor of Osaka prefecture, said Wednesday.
"We have made progress in the development of a vaccine, produced in Japan, produced in Osaka, against the novel strain of coronavirus, and we will begin human trials at the end of the month on June 30," the governor said at a press conference.
According to Yoshimura, the trials will be the first large-scale study conducted in Japan to assess the efficacy and safety of a potential vaccine against the coronavirus disease.
The Japanese Health Ministry on Tuesday said that only 0.1 percent of Tokyo's residents have antibodies for COVID-19 after tests were conducted on 7,950 people. The results have raised concerns of a potential second wave of the outbreak in the country.
More than 18,300 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Japan since the start of the outbreak, according to the Kyodo news agency. This tally includes more than 750 people who tested positive for the disease on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship and a further 149 people who contracted the disease on the Costa Atlantica vessel.
