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

 

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, 2020

Although 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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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.

Also watch: Three main coronavirus symptoms you must know (Video provided by Health.com)

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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

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