(Reuters) - A clinical trial to evaluate a vaccine designed to protect against the new coronavirus will begin on Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed U.S. government official.

The first participant in the trial, which is being funded by the National Institutes of Health and taking place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, will receive the experimental vaccine on Monday, the AP reported.

It would take a year to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine, the AP added, citing public health officials.