Coronavirus vaccine could be ready in 18 months

A coronovirus vaccine could be ready in a year, year and a half, according to a U.S. health official who testified about the outbreak on Capitol Hill. A treatment could be ready much sooner, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He also said that it will take a cooperation between the government and private companies to develop a drug and vaccine for coronavirus.

And he recommended washing hands and staying away from coughing and sneezing individuals as a remedy. Coronavirus broke out in Wuhan late last year and has since infected more than 86,500 people, mostly in China. The global death toll exceeded 3,000, with the number of dead in Italy jumping by 18 to 52. Latvia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Morocco reported cases for the first time, bringing the total to more than 60 countries with the illness known as COVID-19. There have been 90 cases in the United States and six deaths.