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As we continue to search for a vaccine during the coronavirus pandemic, there is some positive news. According to a report from the New York Post, the United States has ordered 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine known as AZD1222 from the University of Oxford.
The doses were ordered as part of a deal between AstraZeneca and HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
“The Trump administration is making multiple major investments in developing and manufacturing promising vaccines long before they’re approved so that a successful vaccine will reach the American people without a day wasted,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.
A clinical study on the virus will begin this summer with approximately 30,000 volunteers.
While AstraZeneca has already received a 300 million dose order from the United States, the company says it has the capacity to produce 1 billion doses. The vaccine will still require approval by the Food and Drug Administration before it becomes available.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 93,800 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
