The development of a coronavirus vaccine could be under 3 months away according to recent claims by a research team in Israel.
The team, based in the Galilee Research Institute (Migal) have said that it is possible to modify the vaccine used to prevent a similar disease in poultry because of the similarity in its DNA.
The Israeli researchers said that they have already developed the vaccine and that human testing can start within months. The specialists who range across biotechnology, agricultural and environmental sciences have been at the forefront of the development of this vaccine for some months.
CEO of Migal, David Zigdon, told reporters that the organization was working hard to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 within the coming 8-10 weeks and commence human trials by week 12.
The team is working 24 hours a day to accelerate the development of this urgently needed vaccine to ensure that it can be testing and pass the necessary regulations.
Thinking Outside of The Box
Prof. Dan Levanon, the founder of Migal, is hopeful that because of the urgent need for the vaccine regulations may be eased, allowing the vaccine to reach the human population much more rapidly. Under normal circumstances, vaccines can take several years to be approved.
He stresses that this must be achieved without any risk to human health.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ofir Akunis, also spoke to the media, welcoming the breakthrough and is optimistic about further progress, keenly promoting any collaborations that will speed the progress of the vaccine.
In the meantime, an Israeli who has recently visited Italy is being quarantined in Sheba Medical center and health officials are working hard to trace his recent contacts. Denmark also recently reported its first case of Covid-19, again in a man who had returned from Northern Italy.
Other cases have been reported in Estonia, Norway, Romania, and Greece as the deadly virus spreads rapidly across Europe.
New cases have emerged in Brazil and Pakistan and at present over 82,000 Chinese infects have been reported globally, with over 78,000 of these in China where the outbreak first started. There have been 2,800 deaths worldwide, 2,744 of these in China.