First U.S. coronavirus vaccine performing as hoped

Early testing proves promising - larger scale trials to come

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KYMA, KECY) - Early-stage testing shows the first coronavirus vaccine tested in the U.S. boosted people’s immune systems exactly the way scientists had hoped it would.

Researchers released the early findings Tuesday, just weeks before the shots are set to begin more widespread testing to prove they’re really strong enough to protect against the coronavirus.

The vaccine is the product of a partnership between the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. It’s one of nearly two dozen possible coronavirus vaccines in various stages of human testing around the world.

The first U.S. study was small, just 45 people. Still, researchers found more than half experienced brief, flu-like reactions to the shots. The next step will be recruiting 30,000 people for the final round of testing.