Health agencies to jointly develop Covid-19 vaccine
Several health organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus (Covid-19) , said Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary of Public Health Ministry.
The collaboration will receive support from eleven organisations, including Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, the National Vaccine Institute, the National Research Council of Thailand, the Department of Disease Control, the Department of Medical Sciences and BioNet-Asia Co Ltd.
The development of an effective vaccine requires integrated knowledge and a time span of at least 9-12 months. It would first be tested on animals, but a MoU was a good start, said the director of National Vaccine Institute.
Kiat Ruxrungtham, professor of medicine at Chulalongkorn University, said in the United States, the private sectors were funded to invent a vaccine for tests on animals within two to three months and on humans within six months. In the case of Thailand, if tests yielded positive results and if the Department of Medical Sciences considered it an effective treatment, the vaccine could be used on terminal patients. However, the development of a new vaccine normally takes one to two years.
Director-General of the Department of Medical Sciences Dr Opart Karnkawinpong said since Thailand was able to initiate germiculture and grow cells with the virus at a measurable level, it is likely that an effective vaccine could be developed.