Italian COVID vaccine human testing starts

(ANSA) - ROME, 24 AGO - 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. (ANSA).