Vaccine for virus ‘a long way off’
AUSTRALIA’S chief medical officer has warned there is no realistic prospect of a vaccine to the deadly coronavirus anytime soon.
As a group of Australians were released from 14 days in quarantine in a Darwin camp after being evacuated from China’s Hubei province, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said a vaccine to COVID-19 is still “a long, long way away”.
“We’re hopeful that progress will be made but there is no realistic prospect of a vaccine in the short-term,” Professor Murphy told reporters in Melbourne yesterday.
Even so, 266 people left the Howard Springs quarantine camp yesterday, after they were evacuated earlier this month from the epicentre of the coronavirus at Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province.
“It’s fantastic news for them and fantastic news for their families,” Prof Murphy said.
One of the evacuees, Brian Leng, said he was initially concerned about spending a fortnight in quarantine but was glad he made the decision to leave Wuhan.
“What they don’t tell you is the people here are really supportive and really lovely and accommodate pretty much all your needs,” he told the ABC.
“In hindsight, really happy to have made the decision to take this evacuation flight.”
Evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan are still facing several more days of quarantine at another camp. Seven cases have now been confirmed among the group of 164, who are also being kept at the facility near Darwin after leaving the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama on Thursday.
Prof Murphy said all seven are in good health and stable at the moment.
“We always expected to have some more cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship,” he said.
“The risk ... was significantly higher than the Wuhan returnees, because of the evidence of maintained transmission in the last few days when they were on the ship.”
Two people from Victoria tested positive to the virus on Saturday and will be repatriated to their home state’s health system, while the Queensland woman will be transported to her home state on a medical plane today.