Meanwhile, Israel’s Institute for Biological Research says it has successfully completed the first stage of its coronavirus vaccine and plans to expand its trials to some 1,000 volunteers for the next phase.

The Israel Institute for Biological Research announced Monday that the second of three phases for its coronavirus vaccine has been approved.

The first stage tested the Defense Ministry laboratory’s vaccine on 80 people out of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospitals and Ramat Gan’s Sheba Medical Center.

“During the first phase, no significant side effects were identified, and two expert committees, both internal and external, recommended the approval of the second phase. As such, the institute completed all the necessary preparations and is ready for the immediate launch of the second phase,” the Defense Ministry says.

The second phase of the clinical trials will begin in the coming days and will take place over several months, with approximately 1,000 volunteers taking part. This stage of the trial will again begin at the Sheba and Hadassah hospitals, but will gradually expand to other medical centers throughout the country.

“The scientists of the IIBR are Israel’s ‘elite unit,’ and have taken on an extremely important task — saving human lives. I see great importance in the development of an Israeli vaccine that will continue to serve Israeli society for years to come,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz says.

The second phase of the trial, conducted over a period of several months, will include extensive safety tests with the participation of 1,000 healthy volunteers aged 18 and over. In this phase, scientists aim to complete vaccine safety precautions, determine effective dosage, and further determine the vaccine’s effectiveness.

Its success will enable the launch of a large-scale trial to test the effectiveness of the vaccine with the participation of up to 30,000 volunteers (Phase 3) in Israel and/or abroad.

Source: Arutz Sheva and Judah Ari Gross – TOI