Scientists around the world - including here in the UK - are working night and day to produce a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, known as Covid-19. But it will take time to develop.
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Sadly, the common flu vaccine won't make a difference, despite what the US President seems to think. Medical experts arrived at the White House this week to patiently explain that an entirely different virus necessitates an entirely different vaccine.
Photos: Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
People wearing face masks cross a road in Shanghai, China, on March 2.
A paramedic wearing a protective suit sanitizes the hands of people in Ashkelon, Israel, on March 2.
Personnel from the health ministry check tourists' temperatures and for any symptoms at the Rumichaca border bridge in Tulcán, Ecuador, on March 1.
A South Korean soldier wearing protective gear sanitizes a street in front of the city hall in Daegu on March 2.
Students of Hanoi National University of Education attend the first day of classes after returning to the university, which was closed for over a month due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak as (L-R) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams look on, at the White House on Feb. 29.
Pedestrians wearing face masks cross a square in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 29.
A police officer wears a protective face mask on the street in Mexico City, Mexico, on Feb. 29.
A member of the Iraqi security forces wears a protective face mask in Baghdad on Feb. 29.
A researcher works in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation in Nutley, New Jersey, U.S., on Feb 28. The facility develops novel therapies for some of the worlds most difficult diseases.
A health worker takes part in a drill to handle suspected carriers of coronavirus, at a hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Feb. 26.
Personnel wearing protective gear spray anti-septic solution at a traditional market in Seoul on Feb. 26.
Spanish police officers patrol outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, on Feb. 25.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks during a special government meeting to discuss measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, at the Daegu City Hall in Daegu on Feb. 25.
Fans wear masks at Stadio San Paolo in Naples, Italy, on Feb. 25, prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona.
A newly wed couple wear protective masks as they take photos with family in Hong Kong on Feb. 24.
Two men ride a bike as they wear protective masks in Najaf, Iraq, on Feb. 24.
Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization (WHO) attends a news conference on the WHO-China Joint Mission on coronavirus in Beijing, on Feb. 24.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres speaks during an update on the situation at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, on Feb. 24.
A street vendor sells face masks outside a railway station in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 24.
Figures depicting coronavirus and "carnevals-virus" are seen at the Shrove Monday celebrations in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Feb. 24.
A reveler wears protective face mask at the Venice Carnival, the last days of which were called off after third death was reported in the country, in Italy on Feb. 23.
Media personnel chase after a passenger (C) who disembarked from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, on Feb. 19.
Indians who were airlifted from Wuhan wait to collect their release certificates before leaving the ITBP quarantine facility in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 17.
Military medics stand in a formation after deplaning from a transport aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) at the Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 17.
A teacher gives a lecture with the help of her smart phone during an online class at a middle school in Donghai, China, on Feb. 17.
Pictures of Pakistani students studying in Wuhan, China, are displayed by their family members during a demonstration in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 16. The family members are demanding the evacuation of their relatives.
A U.S. passenger gives a thumbs up to reporters while arriving at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 17, after disembarking in Yokohama from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Nepalese nationals who were in Wuhan walk out from a Nepal Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, on Feb. 16. The chartered plane brought back 175 nationals from Hubei province.
A classroom is cleaned in preparation for students' return to school in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 15.
A woman is seen wearing a protective mask as she holds a rose on Valentine's Day, while waiting for the subway at a station during rush hour in Beijing, on Feb. 14.
An employee receives payment from a customer through a container on a stick, in Beijing on Feb. 12. A ramp has also been set up to deliver food from the counter.
A laboratory technician helps a colleague remove the protective suit after leaving a laboratory in Shenyang, China, on Feb. 12.
Members of the media stand near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Feb. 11.
A Malaysian Royal Guard wears a protective mask as he stands guard outside National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 10.
Workers produce protective clothing at a factory in Wuxi, China, on Feb. 8. The factory, which previously produced suits and sportswear, switched to production of protective clothing as demand increased due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
A Hindu devotee wears a mask as she carries a milk pot on her head at a shrine in Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 8.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks to the media during a press conference on the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong on Feb. 8. Lam said that the government has bought 48 million masks and received 17 million more from China to counter the shortage of masks in Hong Kong.
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has his temperature checked during a visit to a clinic in Gyeonggi, South Korea, on Feb. 8.
Flight attendants wearing protective clothing and masks serve snacks to Canadians, who had been evacuated from China due to the outbreak of novel Coronavirus on an American charter plane, on another aircraft taking them to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton from the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, Canada, on Feb. 7.
Workers in protective gear are seen on Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama, on Feb. 5, bringing patients from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Beds are set up at an exhibition center, which was converted into a hospital, in Wuhan on Feb. 4.
This handout photo released by Malaysia's Ministry of Health shows citizens being directed onto a bus by health officials as they arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia in Feb. 4.
Members of the Association for Sri Lanka and China Social and Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC) hold candles during a vigil to pray for people who are suffering from coronavirus across the world, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 1.
(L-R) Sabine Hagenauer of the infection department at the 4th medical department of Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Michael Binder, medical director of the Vienna Hospital Association, and Judith Aberle of the department of virology, Medical University Vienna, address a press conference at Kaiser-Franz-Josef hospital in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 26. A Chinese flight attendant was quarantined in the hospital with symptoms of flu, in what authorities suspected as the first coronavirus case in the country.
Dozens of diggers work to build a new hospital in Wuhan, on Jan. 25. Due to the large number of infected people, the government decided to establish a temporary 1,000-bed hospital.
Medical experts at the White House have to patiently explain to Trump that his idea of using the flu vaccine to address the coronavirus will not work. pic.twitter.com/acghVStSvK
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) March 2, 2020Although successful vaccines have been developed in the past for ebola, zika and other serious conditions, one of the particular challenges for the researchers this time is that sufferers of coronavirus can be symptom-free for a fortnight. And it is this lengthy incubation period which has contributed to the alarming escalation of the global outbreak.
On the plus side, the rapid genetic sequencing and open publication of the virus by Chinese researchers has enabled people to study it closely from the outset and start the important work on vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
A new organisation called the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an alliance to finance and coordinate the development of new vaccines to prevent and contain infectious disease epidemics, is already working on the development of a vaccine against another coronavirus: Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), a much deadlier illness which was first identified in 2012.
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Stop touching your face! (The New York Times)
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For more information and guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) click here
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Ready for testing
Officials at Cepi recently announced that a vaccine for Covid-19 would be ready for testing within 16 weeks - by the end of May. The vaccine will then have to be trialled in animals first, before humans. Regulatory approval, a long process, comes next, although things can be sped up, as was done for the Ebola vaccine first used in the Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago.
“Key populations” - health workers and the contacts of affected patients - will no doubt receive any new vaccine before any nationwide mass vaccination programme takes place. And by the time a vaccine gets to that stage it is highly likely the outbreak will have long been contained.
China is showing a slowing down in the number of new cases emerging every day and, despite a bombardment of headlines stating that the number of confirmed cases is growing steadily by the day, the figure for the number of people who are currently suffering from Covid-19 has been dropping each day for the past two weeks. As of Monday, there were 41,512 infected patients among the 90,306 cases. More than 45,000 people have recovered.
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That won't stop scientists developing a vaccine, and the race remains very much on with teams in Israel, the US and China leading the way. Vaccines have historically taken two-to-five years to develop. But with a global effort, and learning from past efforts to develop coronavirus vaccines, researchers could potentially develop a vaccine in a much shorter time.
Follow the government's latest travel advice if you are planning a trip outside India or travelling back to India from affected areas. You can also read World Health Organization's advice on basic protective measures against the virus. The Ministry of Health's special helpline is available at +91-11-23978046 and ncov2019@gmail.com