U.S. researchers administered the first shot to the first person in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine. With a careful jab on a healthy volunteer's arm, scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute began an anxiously-awaited first-stage study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Even if the research goes well, a vaccine wouldn't be available for widely use for 12-18 months, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The trial vaccine, code-named mRNA-1273, was developed by the NIH and Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc. There's no chance participants can get infected from the shots because they don't contain the coronavirus itself. Kaiser Permanente screened dozens of people, looking for those who have no chronic health problems and aren't currently sick. Participants are paid 100 U.S. dollars for each clinic visit during the study.