Vaccine studies offer new hope as EU struggles on virus aid deal
by James Pheby with AFP Bureaus
Two studies offered new hope of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus on Monday, seven months after the disease was first identified in China and spread rapidly across the globe.
The positive news came as alarm grows over fresh outbreaks of the disease that has killed more than 600,000 people worldwide and battered economies with months of shutdowns meant to stop its spread.
Divided EU leaders struggled at a summit on Monday to salvage a 750-billion-euro coronavirus aid package for their region, even as countries from Australia to France tightened restrictions to curb new outbreaks.
In a promising step towards a COVID-19 vaccine, one trial among more than 1,000 adults in Britain found that a vaccine induced “strong antibody and T cell immune responses” against the coronavirus.
A separate trial in China involving more than 500 people showed most had developed widespread antibody immune response.
Both studies, published in The Lancet medical journal, appear to show progress towards a vaccine that is effective and safe for widespread use.
“If our vaccine is effective it is a promising option as these types of vaccine can be manufactured at large scale,” said co-author Sarah Gilbert from the University of Oxford.
British biotech firm Synairgen also said on Monday a randomised trial of an aerosol-based treatment shows it could drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus patients dying of the disease or requiring intensive care.
Europe has been the worst-hit continent by the pandemic with more than 200,000 deaths, but European Union leaders remained bitterly split on Monday on how to help its worst-hit — and most indebted — members such as Italy and Spain.
Arriving for the EU summit in Brussels, France’s President Emmanuel Macron said he saw “the possible hopes of a compromise”.
“Nothing has been agreed yet, so I will remain extremely cautious,” he said.
A handful of EU countries led by the Netherlands are reluctant to hand over such vast sums — 750 billion euros ($860 billion) — to nations they regard as profligate, particularly Spain and Italy. (AFP)
