Older Americans Get Chance to Join Virus Vaccine Study

A study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Moderna is being expanded to include older Americans, the age group most at risk from the novel coronavirus, reports the Associated Press . The mRNA-1273 vaccination test is currently focused on healthy young and middle-aged adults in Seattle and Atlanta, but Moderna announced its expansion for those aged 51 to 70 and those older than 70. NIH is seeking 60 older adults, bringing the total number of initial test subjects to 105. Moderna also announced new funding from the U.S. government to accelerate mRNA-1273 development, including preparations to step up production and prepare for larger, next-step studies. The NIH vaccination is one of three leading candidates in the international search for a vaccine. A candidate developed by CanSino Biologics has started the second phase of testing in China, while a candidate from Inovio Pharmaceuticals launched its first U.S. study last week and just got funding to begin similar test vaccinations in South Korea.