Czech Covid-19 vaccine prepared for clinical trials

Czech scientists are moving into the human testing phase of the development of a vaccine against Covid-19, according to the daily Lidove noviny. Work on the treatment began in May through cooperation between two state-run organizations, with initial estimates being that it would take at least 18 months to develop a product ready for production and distribution. "This is a vaccine prototype prepared in a pilot project for use on rodents," said Vera Adamkova of the Institute fo Clinical and Experimental Medicine. "It's a prototype that's ready for further development," she said. What follows will likely be clinical trials, based on a decision by the Ministry of Health. As it happens, the new minister of health installed this week is an acclaimed epidemiologist. "The minister is now studying the conclusions of the first phase of development, which will be submitted for analysis by experts from specialist companies after which a decision on the next steps will be taken," wrote the ministry in a statement. In addition to working on its own vaccine, the Czech Republic is contributing financially to EU attempts to create a vaccine.