Coronavirus vaccine trials poised to go worldwide

The rush is on around the world to be first to develop a vaccine to fight the coronavirus.

A Bothell man is one of 45 people taking part in the first human vaccine trials.

The first human trials for a coronavirus vaccine began right here at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. That was nearly three weeks ago.

Now the search for a vaccine to fight this pandemic is worldwide.

Since Neal Browning became only the second person in the world to get a vaccine for coronavirus, he has become a celebrity of sorts, something his family is adjusting to.

“They think it’s pretty weird to see me on TV,” he said, “and see about me in People Magazine.”

He bravely bared his shoulder in a history-making act on March 16. He says his body has had little reaction to the vaccine he received.

“There’s been no symptoms, no fever, no chills,” he said. “Nothing.”

He and 44 others here could soon have company some 2,100 miles away.

Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh and its Medical Center have been using a microneedling technique on mice, now awaiting FDA approval to begin testing their vaccine on humans.

“The microneedle array is able to deliver the vaccine antigen directly into those areas of the skin that are made to make immune response,” said Dr. Louis Falco at the University of Pittsburgh. “And so it results in a very potent vaccine.”

Bill Gates says his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is getting into the act, too.

“I’ve talked to the head of the pharmaceutical companies,” said Gates. “We’ve talked to a lot of the agencies, including CDC and NIH, about how we work together on the vaccine and the drugs.”

There’s research going on in Europe and beyond.

“Honestly, if we can get something out there whoever does it more power to them,” says Browning.

He says he hopes someone somewhere discovers a vaccine to stop this deadly scourge.

"If anything, this virus is a great equalizer, said Browning. “It doesn’t look at race. It doesn’t look at religion. It doesn’t look at sexual orientation. If your D.N.A. is human, you can get infected. And it can cause severe problems and even death.”

Browning expects to get a second dose of the vaccine later this month.

If this phase of the vaccine trials is successful, a second phase will begin with another, much larger group of volunteers.

© 2020 Cox Media Group