On Monday, Moderna announced that the first phase of the Coronavirus vaccine testing went successfully as the results seemed to indicate that it is safe to use and quick to stimulate an immune response against the infection. This piece of information reignited hope in a world that was full of despair due to the pandemic.

In the preliminary stage, eight people received two doses of the experimental vaccine. With a promising result, the research is now bound to enter phase two. Phase two basically means that the research will expand, and hundreds and thousands of healthy volunteers will be tested on. The idea is to ensure that this vaccine works in a real-world application.

Summer is just around the corner, and with one state after the other lifting off the restrictions, Americans are now eager than ever to regain their freedom. They are excited to get back to their older routine and enjoy the basic joys of life, like going to the beach or shopping with friends.

Social distancing was a means to reduce the damage, but it wasn’t exactly the cure. Thus, a Coronavirus vaccine is the only answer to this pandemic. Last week every day, almost a thousand people lost their lives to the Coronavirus. Nearly five million people have been impacted and 315,000 are dead. Countries have gone on complete lockdown, which has dangerously shuttered their economies.

Numerous companies, universities, and research centers are working together to find a cure. Human trials have already begun, but it’s still relatively slow progress. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, CanSino – the Chinese company, and the University of Oxford are all making giants efforts with AstraZeneca.

Despite the urgency, scientists believe that hasting the process can potentially cause more damage. They don’t want to compromise on safety and want to be 100% sure when they eventually launch the vaccine in the world.

Moderna’s mRNA approach for vaccine making basically uses a genetic framework that can quickly modify with each new viral threat. The manufacturers have announced that the second phase is set to include 600 subjects, and the third phase is set to begin in July, which will include thousands of people. The

Food and Drug Administration has given A green light to start the second phase. If these trials provide successful results, the doses will be available widespread by the end of the year or early 2021.

Dr. Tal Zaks – Moderna’s chief medical officer said, “We’re doing our best to make it as many millions as possible.”

President Donald Trump also predicted that the vaccine would be accessible by the end of the year, and his statement was backed by Moncef Slaoui, the leader of Operation Warp Speed. His previous role was that of Moderna’s board of directors, but he decided to resign and take up a governmental position.

Donald Trump said, “This was a very big day, cure wise and vaccine wise.”

Moderna utilizes mRNA to make vaccines. There are nine other stages that are part of the process. However, no vaccine that is designed using this strategy has reached the market.

Work on this vaccine officially began back in January, as soon as the Chinese scientists posted regarding the genetic sequences on the internet. They identified the sequence to possess codes for a spike-like protein on the surface of the virus, which hooks itself to human cells and eventually invades them.

Moderna aims to inject the mRNA on a part of the spike protein and slip into the cells of a healthy body. This will then hopefully crank out the viral protein. This protein should give a red flag to the immune system compelling the antibodies to fight back and block the action of the spike.

“The new technologies for genetic immunization are rapid and produce a product that is highly potent at producing immune responses. Today’s RNA results confirm that there is great potential.” – said Dr. Mulligan.