S. Korea starts research on COVID-19 virus medication, vaccine

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Monday that it has started research to develop medication and a vaccine against the new coronavirus using samples of blood and antibodies taken from people infected with the novel coronavirus.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has started supporting local researchers and experts in infectious diseases to use blood samples collected during the crisis to carry out experiments so they can find a way to combat COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated in China and has spread to many other countries, including South Korea.

South Korea has confirmed 30 cases of infection, with nine patients having fully recovered.

At present, there is no known cure for the viral infection, although doctors here have said acquired immune deficiency syndrome drugs seem to be effective in curing the illness.

Under the program that was originally announced on Feb. 5, the KCDC said the goal is to find so-called candidate antibodies that could be further developed into treatment drugs.

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