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November 2, 2020
Israel has begun human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine that scientists hope to release to the public next summer, with the first two volunteers receiving doses of the vaccine on Sunday.
A 26-year-old and a 34-year-old were injected with the BriLife SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) began testing on animals in March. The state laboratory has so far produced 25,000 doses of the vaccine for use in human trials at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv and the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
“The real way out of the coronavirus crisis is in vaccine development,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with one of the trial volunteers on Sunday.
“Therefore, this is a very important day, a day that gives a boost of spirit. … We wish success during these and the last stages. With God’s help, we will make a vaccine here in Israel. This is something very important, ”he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The first phase of the trial will evaluate 80 people between the ages of 18 and 55, and a second phase will include 960 volunteers in December. If the vaccine proves safe, the third and final round of testing will involve 30,000 volunteers and will begin in April or May.
Shmuel Shapira, director of the research institute behind the trial, said in an interview with Ynet News that he expects the vaccine to be ready for use in the general population in July.
Israel’s race to find a vaccine is not limited to its own research. The country will reportedly participate in two separate coronavirus vaccine trials in Australia and Europe. Israeli and Emirati pharmaceutical companies are also collaborating on the COVID-19 investigation.
Since detecting its first case in February, Israel has reported more than 315,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,554 deaths from the virus. The number of active cases has fallen below 10,000.
On Monday, the coronavirus cabinet approved the Health Ministry’s plan to increase fines for schools and businesses that violate virus restrictions. The new fines still need Knesset approval before they become law.
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