Rochester Minnesota Company Developing an Oral COVID-19 Vaccine
Vyriad is a research company based right here in Rochester Minnesota. Their team typically studies how viruses can be used in cancer treatments. When the pandemic hit last year, they turned their attention to COVID-19 and developed an antibody test that was used by the Mayo Clinic.
Now the research company is working to develop a new oral vaccine to protect people from the coronavirus. The company’s CEO, Dr. Stephen Russell, told FOX 9 News, "It could make it more accessible to the world because the need for syringes and needles and technically trained staff for vaccine administration is a big problem.”
Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota says more than 686,000 Minnesotans have received their first shot and over 240,000 Minnesotans are now fully vaccinated. According to KROC News, 37,530 people in Olmsted County have had at least one dose of the vaccine, which is just over 24 percent of the population.
People with at least one vaccine shot by age.
- 16-17: 774
- 18-49: 238,934
- 50-64:139,069
- 65+: 307,423
Gender breakdown for people with at least one shot.
- Female: 441,212
- Male: 239,327
- Other: 19
- Unknown: 5,652
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.
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