According to Kyodo News, countries around the world are actively developing vaccines to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. According to the list recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO), 118 plans are underway. Of these, 8 vaccines from Europe, America, and China have entered clinical trials to confirm their safety and efficacy for human use. US President Trump also indicated that the military and the civilian population will work together to launch a vaccine within the year.

According to the WHO list, etc., the United States is promoting the development of a nucleic acid vaccine using genetic information about the virus. USAbiotechnologyThe company Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases jointly initiated clinical trials of the RNA vaccine in March.

Meanwhile, China has begun testing 4 types of vaccines, including an inactivated vaccine with no pathogenic viruses. In Europe, joint trials between German biotech company BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, as well as trials at the University of Oxford in the UK, are progressing. (wl/t)