COVID-19 vaccine trials progress around the globe, in Greater Cincinnati – WLWT Cincinnati

Doctors in Greater Cincinnati are watching COVID-19 vaccine trials expand around the world.Cincinnati Children's Hospital said it is making final preparations and expects to administer a candidate vaccine closer to the end of the month, but no exact date has been announced yet.Doctors are paying close attention to new developments in each study."If we had a vaccine that induced immunity for at least six months, that that would be a very powerful weapon in the fight against COVID-19," Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum said.Fichtenbaum is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and he is watching COVID-19 vaccine development happening around the globe.There is promise coming from some vaccine studies, such as the one led by Massachusetts-based Moderna, Incorporated, another by researchers at Oxford University and, soon, Cincinnati Children's Hospital will administer doses in a vaccine trial.Fichtenbaum said the newest technology in some projects uses genetic material called messenger RNA to kickstart the immune system."This is the ability for these proteins to get produced and then for the body to react, create antibodies, that are then very well-adapted to stop the virus from causing infection," he said.Fichtenbaum said these multi-phase studies are searching for the right dose, with safety, effectiveness and lasting immunity in mind.Some have found antibody levels after vaccination in humans and in animals.He said an ideal vaccine test uses volunteers from areas where transmission is high-risk, and that could include nursing homes, where a vaccine might be a benefit."It's a matter of getting enough volunteers to enroll in a time period and also getting the right types of volunteers," Fichtenbaum said.He said it could be possible to have a vaccine out to the public in 2021."Vaccination has been a real advance to humanity and it's one of the reasons why we can live into our 70s, 80s and 90s," he said.At Children's Hospital, officials said they are moving as quickly as possible, but also want the study to be precise.Doctors said any approved vaccine will likely be tested in between 50,000 and 100,000 people.They said then, there will be about six to 12 months of follow-up to gather important safety information.

Doctors in Greater Cincinnati are watching COVID-19 vaccine trials expand around the world.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital said it is making final preparations and expects to administer a candidate vaccine closer to the end of the month, but no exact date has been announced yet.

Doctors are paying close attention to new developments in each study.

"If we had a vaccine that induced immunity for at least six months, that that would be a very powerful weapon in the fight against COVID-19," Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum said.

Fichtenbaum is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and he is watching COVID-19 vaccine development happening around the globe.

There is promise coming from some vaccine studies, such as the one led by Massachusetts-based Moderna, Incorporated, another by researchers at Oxford University and, soon, Cincinnati Children's Hospital will administer doses in a vaccine trial.

Fichtenbaum said the newest technology in some projects uses genetic material called messenger RNA to kickstart the immune system.

"This is the ability for these proteins to get produced and then for the body to react, create antibodies, that are then very well-adapted to stop the virus from causing infection," he said.

Fichtenbaum said these multi-phase studies are searching for the right dose, with safety, effectiveness and lasting immunity in mind.

Some have found antibody levels after vaccination in humans and in animals.

He said an ideal vaccine test uses volunteers from areas where transmission is high-risk, and that could include nursing homes, where a vaccine might be a benefit.

"It's a matter of getting enough volunteers to enroll in a time period and also getting the right types of volunteers," Fichtenbaum said.

He said it could be possible to have a vaccine out to the public in 2021.

"Vaccination has been a real advance to humanity and it's one of the reasons why we can live into our 70s, 80s and 90s," he said.

At Children's Hospital, officials said they are moving as quickly as possible, but also want the study to be precise.

Doctors said any approved vaccine will likely be tested in between 50,000 and 100,000 people.

They said then, there will be about six to 12 months of follow-up to gather important safety information.

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COVID-19 vaccine trials progress around the globe, in Greater Cincinnati - WLWT Cincinnati