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New COVID-19 vaccine in development in Palm Beach County

Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter experimenting with vaccine that does not need refrigeration
Scientists at Scripps Research are in the process of developing a COVID-19 vaccine that is broken down to powder, shipped to delivery sites without refrigeration and mixed with water before injecting individuals.
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JUPITER, Fla. — Dr. Michael Farzan is the chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter.

He and a colleague in Maryland are in the process of developing a COVID-19 vaccine that is broken down to powder, shipped to delivery sites without refrigeration and mixed with water before injecting individuals.

"At the point you receive it, it will still be injected into you as a liquid. But the important part is it can be stored as a powder and delivered to people around the world as a powder," Dr. Farzan said.

Farzan hopes that a pharmaceutical company will take an interest in this technology and eventually manufacture, test and distribute this emerging vaccine.

Farzan talked about the developments and the nation's vaccination efforts with Contact 5 investigator Dave Bohman Wednesday afternoon on Facebook Live.

He will also be part of a town meeting with Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss at 6:30 p.m. Thursday when he will answer questions about the virus and the vaccine.

To register to participate in the town meeting with Dr. Farzan, click here.