Coronavirus Whats Next Vaccine Treatment

Working On A Cure?

America’s latest efforts to prevent & treat the spread of the new coronavirus.

“The ultimate target of the coronavirus is the respiratory tract: your lung. The whole goal of the vaccine is that when this coronavirus comes through your nose, your mouth, into your lung – to prevent it from hitting the target that will infect you. You just want to block it.”

U.S. Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci who leads the Nat'l Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. Best case, accelerated scenario: it will take at least a year to develop a vaccine.

Vaccines: What To Know

• January: China published the “genetic sequence” of COVID-19
• February: MA drug manufacturer sent samples of a vaccine to Nat’l Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• April: First U.S. trial expected to begin. Preliminary results due this summer.
• Big Picture: Average vaccine takes 10+ yrs to develop; other large pharma companies also working on coronavirus vaccines.

Treatment: What To Know

• First U.S. clinical trial of an experimental treatment happening now at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
• The gov’t-sponsored trial will test an antiviral treatment (Remdesivir) by administering the drug to some patients and a placebo to others.
• Remdesivir: used to treat Ebola, tested on other coronaviruses like SARS, showing some optimistic results.

“We urgently need a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19. Although remdesivir has been administered to some patients with COVID-19, we do not have solid data to indicate it can improve clinical outcomes. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial is the gold standard for determining if an experimental treatment can benefit patients.”

NIAID Director and U.S. Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Something To Consider:

“Should hasty decisions lead to products that are not completely safe, people’s faith in vaccines could be damaged. If so, the harm done to the world’s health could rival the worst feared of the Wuhan virus.”

The Economist magazine

Major drug companies are meeting at the White House today to strategize and speed up the development of vaccine or antiviral treatment for the new coronavirus.