Coronavirus Vaccine still a year away

A vaccine to combat the deadly coronavirus is still at least one year away, the Australian chair of a global alliance set up to fight epidemics says.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is coordinating the development of a vaccine in laboratories across the world and is calling on the federal government to help further fund research.

CEPI chair Jane Halton, a former federal Department of Health head, says about $3 billion is needed so multiple versions of potential vaccines can be developed.

Researchers at the University of Queensland have chosen a vaccine candidate for pre-clinical work while a US team is gearing up for trials, but more are needed.

‘‘Whilst you have something in the lab that looks good, either you can’t actually get it to generate the outcome in a human being that you want, or it proves not to be safe or it proves hard to manufacture,’’ Halton told ABC radio yesterday.

‘‘So you need a series of candidates to ensure you end up with one, or preferably more, actual vaccines.’’ But a potential vaccine was still 12 months away if ‘‘absolutely everything went optimally’’. It would then take

‘‘Whilst you have something in the lab that looks good, either you can’t actually get it to generate the outcome in a human being that you want, or it proves not to be safe or it proves hard to manufacture.’’ Jane Halton

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations

‘‘many, many months to produce the hundreds of millions of doses that will be needed for this vaccine.‘‘ The federal government

has put $2 million towards a local fund to develop a vaccine and has so far pledged less than $5 million to CEPI. – AAP