Phase one of a coronavirus vaccine trial - which will see 131 people from Melbourne and Sydney injected with the trial drug - is set to begin in less than a week.
The vaccine was developed in the United States and is the first human clinical trial to run in Australia.
Thousands of health care workers have also volunteered to take the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to test whether it is effective in preventing contracting the virus. Image: AP
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UK ahead of the curve with COVID-19 vaccine | Sky News AustraliaThe United Kingdom has appeared to be leading the race in the search for a coronavirus vaccine, with Oxford University and London’s Imperial College working on production. \n\nOxford has begun testing its drug on humans and animals in an accelerated program designed to take two years instead of the regular minimum eight years. \n\nThe UK government has contributed $93 million to the building of a new Venix Centre, designed to mass produce a vaccine, in an effort to bring its opening forward by one year. \n\nImage: Getty
Read more »
'Huge win for Australia': COVID-19 probe unanimously passes WHA | Sky News AustraliaThe World Health Assembly has unanimously approved a resolution calling for an independent probe into the COVID-19 pandemic which is a 'huge win for Australia and accountability for China,' according to Sky News host Paul Murray.\n\nThe resolution, authored by the European Union, called for an independent investigation into the World Health Organisation's response and the pandemic which followed.\n\nThe motion aims to identify the source of the virus and the route of its introduction into the human population.\n\n'China will be held to a standard that any other country in the world should be,' Mr Murray said.\n\nImage: AP
Read more »
China had to 'back down' considerably on COVID-19 inquiry | Sky News AustraliaFormer foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer says China had to 'back down' as opposing any inquiry made it look 'guilty and bad and totally isolated'.\n\nChinese President Xi Jinping has backed down from China's 'initial position' of flatly refusing any COVID-19 inquiry, but has placed caveats on it including the request for it to be run solely by the World Health Organisation.\n\n'They are trying to finesse it to make the inquiry as minimalist and keep it directed as much as possible away from China'.\n\nMr Downer told Sky News host Andrew Bolt it is important the inquiry is led by credible scientific personnel rather than having the Director-General 'just choose people who politically might fit in with another agenda'.\n\n'He's been close to China so he could just choose people who are close to China'.\n\nImage: AP
Read more »
Wall Street slumps as Moderna shares dive on report questioning trial resultsA report questioning the encouraging results of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine trial sends shares in the company diving, and wipes out Wall Street's gains.
Read more »
Trump takes disputed medicine as preventative for COVID-19 | Sky News AustraliaUS President Donald Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against coronavirus, despite it being unproven as an effective COVID-19 treatment.\n\nMr Trump revealed the White House doctor cleared his use of the drug which he has been taking for the last week and a half in pill form and has had 'zero symptoms”. \n\nMr Trump backed the drug as a potential coronavirus cure, despite warnings from top medical professionals in his administration.
Read more »
Dow Jones surges 912 points on bets for coronavirus vaccine, ASX to jump - ABC NewsGlobal markets were boosted by 'promising' data from an early-stage trial for a COVID-19 vaccine, which lifted hopes for a faster recovery from the global economic slump.
Read more »