Human testing on an Italian-made
COVID vaccine started on Monday.
The first volunteer, a woman, was inoculated at Rome's premier
infectious disease hospital, the Spallanzani.
She said she was "proud" to have been the first to take a dose
of the vaccine.
"I hope to be useful to our country", she added.
The vaccine has been produced by the Italian biotechnology firm
ReiThera of Castel Romano near Rome.
"Today, an historic phase in research begins," said Lazio
Governor Nicola Zingaretti, whose government helped fund the
project.
Spallanzani doctors said they hoped to produce the vaccine by
next spring.
Health Minisyer Roberto Speranza said "Italian research has met
the challenge".
Lazio health councillor Alessio D'Amato said "the vaccine will
allow us to emerge from the nightmare".
Spallanzani scientific chief Giuseppe Ippolito said Italy would
not be "the slave of other countries" in the vaccine field.
Several other countries including Russia and Australia have
announced vaccine testing.
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