Scientists kicked off testing the first experimental coronavirus vaccine on human volunteers Monday, administering a shot that was a milestone in the race to protect the world from the mounting pandemic.

Jennifer Haller, 43, was the first healthy participant of the trial to receive the potential COVID-19 vaccine Monday at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle.

“We all feel so helpless. This is an amazing opportunity for me to do something,” Haller told the Associated Press.

She was joined by three other participants who were in line for the first of two doses of the vaccine, which will be administered a month apart.

After leaving the exam room, Haller said that she was “feeling great.”

Forty-five volunteers are expected to participate in the study needed to prove that the vaccine, which is code-named mRNA-1273, is safe and could work.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the new study, “launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal.”

Even if the trial is successful, the vaccine won’t be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months, according to Fauci.

The vaccine comes as the contagious disease has spread to more than 164,000 people in 149 countries and territories.

With Post wires