A Vaccine For Novel Coronavirus Could Be On The Way

This could be some good news.

From USA Today, doctors from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are claiming they have a vaccine for coronavirus. Researchers say they are now seeking federal permission to begin testing with what they claim is a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

Researchers started developing it in January. So far, tests on mice suggests they developed antibodies for the virus within two weeks of receiving the vaccine. It's being called The PittCoVacc, or Pittsburgh Coronavirus vaccine.

Experts have been saying it could take 12 to 18 months before a vaccine is available, but these researchers are hoping the need for it can speed up the process. According to a report from Science Daily, these doctors have the advantage of having worked with coronavirus before - specifically, SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS-CoV in 2014.

The researchers in Pittsburgh say they their vaccine works like your typical flu shot, using lab-made viral protein to build a patient's immunity. Theirs is designed to be delivered via a patch with tiny needles made of sugar and protein pieces.

The scientists say it usually takes about a year of patient testing to get a vaccine approved, but recently announced revisions to the usual process could make the process move more quickly.

Hopefully this is the real deal and a vaccine is on the way. Scientists around the world are racing to create them, and they can't get here soon enough.