SEATTLE (AP) - U.S. researchers have given a healthy volunteer the first shot of an experimental coronavirus vaccine as anxiously awaited testing opens.

Monday’s milestone is just the first step in a long process. The effort is one of several worldwide hunting for protection against COVID-19, even as the pandemic grows.

The study is run by scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle.

The shots were developed by the National Institutes of Health in record time after the new coronavirus exploded from China.

Experts say it will be at least a year before any vaccine is ready for widespread use.