Early coronavirus vaccine results are encouraging, maker says

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — An experimental vaccine against the coronavirus showed encouraging results in very early testing, triggering hoped-for immune responses in eight healthy, middle-aged volunteers, its maker announced Monday.

The vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc., generated antibodies similar to those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19 in study volunteers who were given either a low or medium dose.

In the next phase of the study, led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, researchers will try to determine which dose is best for a definitive experiment that they aim to start in July.

The vaccine seems safe so far, the company said. A high dose version is being dropped after spurring some short-term side effects.

Worldwide, about a dozen vaccine candidates are in the first stages of testing or nearing it.