[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] A research team in Hong Kong is reported to have developed a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) based on the influenza vaccine. Some are optimistic that the effective control measures by the Chinese government could help calm the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On the 29th, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a research team led by Yuan Guoyong, an authority on infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong, has completed the development of a novel coronavirus vaccine. Professor Yuan told SCMP, "Our research team has been developing a vaccine and modified the influenza vaccine we previously developed to create a new novel coronavirus vaccine."
He added, "This vaccine can prevent the novel coronavirus."
However, it is expected that more than a year will be needed before the vaccine can be applied to humans, making it unlikely that the vaccine will contribute to calming the spread of the novel coronavirus in the near term. Professor Yuan also mentioned that he could not specify when the vaccine would be administered to patients and that it would take time.
Professor Yuan explained, "We have already produced the vaccine, but it is still in the pre-animal testing stage. Animal testing will take several more months, and even if successful, clinical trials on humans will take at least another year."
As the spread of the novel coronavirus continues, countries including Hong Kong, mainland China, and the United States are accelerating vaccine development. Earlier, Chinese media quoted Li Lanjuan, an expert in infectious diseases, saying that vaccine production could succeed within a month. The Oriental Hospital affiliated with Tongji University in Shanghai has partnered with a biotech company to begin developing a novel coronavirus vaccine.
In the United States, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), headquartered in Norway, to develop a novel coronavirus vaccine. The U.S. vaccine developer Novavax has also started developing a novel coronavirus vaccine. Australia is also developing a vaccine.
Currently, the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases is approaching 6,000, surpassing the 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak. According to the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) as of midnight, the cumulative number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases is 5,974. Among them, 1,239 are severe cases, so the death toll is expected to continue rising. The cumulative death toll so far is 132.
Some are optimistic that the Chinese government's effective response measures, including the lockdown of Wuhan, will slow the rapid increase in new confirmed cases.
Zhong Nanshan, a top respiratory disease expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in an interview with Chinese media such as Xinhua News Agency the day before that the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases will soon peak and will not increase on a large scale anymore.
He explained that the government's extension of the Lunar New Year holiday and population movement control measures have created a 10 to 14-day quarantine observation period, during which the incubation period passes, making the likelihood of a large-scale epidemic low. He predicted that the number of confirmed cases will peak and then decline within the next 7 to 10 days.
Gao Fu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also appeared on China Central Television (CCTV) the previous night and said, "If the current measures continue, a turning point could come soon," adding, "Some say it could improve before the Lantern Festival (February 8), but I think it could get better even sooner," expressing optimism.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
