In an unexpected announcement today Israel's Minister of Defense Benny Gantz said that Israel will begin human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine in October. Gantz was visiting the Israel Institute of Biological Research in Ness Ziona where he met with its director general Prof. Shmuel Shapira to receive an update on progress on work to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. At the end of the visit, Gantz said, 'All the initial trials have been successfully completed and there is very big news and very big hopes. The next stage as we agreed will be that human trials will begin after the Jewish holidays (which end October 9). We will coordinate this with the Ministry of Health and in accordance with the required procedures of medical safety." Prof. Shapira added, "We are proud that we can show results. We have an excellent vaccination and there are regulatory procedures that the vaccination must pass according to a timetable that we have set out. After the Jewish holidays, we will begin trials for safety and efficacy but we have a product in our hands." The Israel Institute of Biological Research is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office. Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 6, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020
