A health official in China says coronavirus vaccine could be ready for emergency use next month.
What could be a breakthrough to put an end to the disease — that has spread to over fifty-five countries, infecting 100,000 persons and leaving over 3000 people dead – is coming weeks after Chinese scientists revealed the sequence of the coronavirus.
“According to our estimates, we are hopeful that in April some of the vaccines will enter clinical research or be of use in emergency situations,” Zheng Zhongwei, Director of the National Health Commission’s Science and Technology Development Centre, was quoted by the Voice of America as saying.
He also said dozens of vaccine research institutions were involved and that other vaccines were being developed. “Developing vaccines that are safe and effective takes time, investment, and good science. For a coronavirus like the one that causes COVID-19, the process comes with even more challenges. The testing alone for its safety and efficacy will take 12 to 18 months or more,” officials say.
Under China’s law, if the National Medical Products Administration believes that the benefits of the treatment outweigh the risk, vaccines developed for major public health emergencies can be deployed for urgent use under specified conditions.
Other countries are also in the race to develop vaccine for COVID-19. Moderna, a biotechnology company in the United States, sent its vaccine for human testing at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In a recent White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it could take at least a year to approve a vaccine.
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