Do Tuan Dat, director of developer Vaccine and Biological Production No. 1 (Vabiotech), said on October 30 that Vietnamese researchers have begun performing trials for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine on monkeys.

The trial phase will see the vaccine given in various doses to 12 healthy macaca mulatta monkeys aged between three and five years old, with each animal weighing over three kg.

The 12 monkeys will be divided into two groups, including those that are given injections and those not given injections. Indeed, the vaccine will be administered to the animals on two occasions, with continuous evaluation throughout the process as each shot is given every 21 to 28 days.

Dat outlined that it will take approximately three months to get the results back from the trials, after which the blood samples of the monkeys will be sent to units in Hanoi for testing.

A COVID-19 vaccine for humans is expected to be ready for mass production by 2022.