COVID-19 vaccine volunteer feeling 'fantastic' during trial
When an Australian doctor caught wind of a coronavirus vaccine trial taking place in Canberra he immediately volunteered as he wanted "to help find a cure".
President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) John Hall is feeling good after receiving the jab on Saturday.
"To this point it's been fantastic," Dr Hall told Today.
READ MORE: Australian vaccine reduces COVID-19 symptoms, boosts immunity
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Dr Hall is now in Grafton, in the state's north, where a clinic is monitoring his response. Today
"It's like getting the normal new jab. An ache in the arm, that's all. We are rigorously screened…and I keep a diary every day and they check our temperature.
"I'm not really expecting a lot of negative effects from this vaccine. The technology they're using is next level. It's got a strong safety record."
The doctor went on to explain participants are getting multiple blood tests to monitor the vaccine's progress and expect results "by the end of the year".
First human trial for coronavirus vaccine began in May. Supplied
The trial underway in Australia's capital is one of four across the country.
Dr Hall has called on more Australians to volunteer as scientist race to find a cure to the deadly virus.
The call to arms comes as cases around the world surge past 25 million. To date, 843,000 deaths have been recorded, according to a tally from John Hopkins University.
A civic worker sprays sanitizers in front of a shop as a woman wearing face mask passes on in Kolkata, India, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020. India has the third-highest coronavirus caseload after the United States and Brazil, and the fourth-highest death toll in the world. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) AP/AAP
"We need volunteers to step up. If we want a solution to COVID-19 around the globe people need to step up," Dr Hall said.
"It's a small impost on people's time to get involved. We have 50 volunteers in Canberra and we are looking for another 30. There will be 750 people in Australia partaking in this trial and another 750 in the US.
"This is going what is going to free up society, get us out of lockdown and hopefully save millions of lives around the world.
"We need volunteers to step up to help find the cure, help find a solution for COVID-19."
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