Coping with Covid: Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial advances to Phase 3 testing

The last stage in an international, single-dose COVID-19 vaccine trial is now underway, the newest late-stage study by Johnson & Johnson aiming to enroll around 60,000 volunteers to prove if its single-dose approach is safe and protects against the virus.

Of several different vaccine trials being conducted worldwide, one of the largest trial groups by Johnson & Johnson has advanced their vaccine trial to Phase 3 testing.

Numerous other vaccines have already begun final Phase 3 testing on an international level, though Johnson & Johnson aims to enroll one of the largest study groups yet with 60,000 volunteers.

The American multinational corporation’s Phase 3 testing is hoping to soon find if its single-dose approach is safe and protects against the coronavirus.

An estimated 60,000 volunteers for the trial come from the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

While pressure to quickly produce an effective vaccine remains high, Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, said there will be no cutting corners.

For now, it remains possible that at least one effective vaccine could be ready for distribution by the end of 2020 and possibly sooner.