Army’s own vaccine that could fight COVID variants begins clinical trials 3 days ago Maryland Army National Guardsmen fill out medical paperwork to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington on Jan. 14, 2021. (Sgt. Chazz Kibler/National Guard) A unique vaccine produced by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research started clinical testing Tuesday, and Army researchers hope it will combat variants of SARS-COV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine, called spike ferritin nanoparticle, or SpFN, could also help fight other coronaviruses, a group of related RNA viruses that often cause respiratory-related diseases in mammals.