IS THERE A TREATMENT OR VACCINE?

Right now, there are no antivirals or vaccines to treat or prevent COVID-19, although there are at least 44 potential coronavirus vaccines in development. Several antivirals, including those against flu and HIV, are being tested to see if they could be used against the new coronavirus, as is chloroquine, a common antimalarial.

Even in an emergency, vaccines can take a long time to develop – no matter how quickly researchers race through the initial phase of identifying candidate vaccines and getting their vaccines into clinical testing. This is because taking the vaccine through the rigorous stages of testing for safety and efficacy can normally take several years. And it is still unclear whether the COVID-19 outbreak will have peaked before a vaccine can be rolled out.