Lab monkeys infected with coronavirus in bid to find vaccine

Scientists have infected lab monkeys with a coronavirus in a bid to find a vaccine for the disease that’s killed thousands of people.

Scientists working to find a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus have infected lab monkeys with the disease.

Researchers at the US National Institutes of Health, led by Dr Emmie de Wit, tested an antiviral drug that was originally created for ebola on 18 rhesus macaques.

The study involved three groups of monkeys, all of which were infected with MERS-CoV, the cousin of the current coronavirus strain sending the world into a panic.

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The first group was treated 24 hours before being infected with the disease; the second 12 hours after infection, and the third were left untreated.

The six monkeys given the medication 24 hours before they were infected did not exhibit respiratory disease symptoms.

The second group, treated 12 hours after, showed moderate symptoms of the disease.

The monkeys not given the drug showed stronger signs of the disease, with higher levels of the virus detected in their lungs.

Teams of monkeys have been infected with a cousin of COVID-19 in an attempt to find a vaccine.

The academics who conducted the study are hopeful remdesivir could work against SARS-CoV-2, which is part of the same family of viruses as the one in the trial.

“Our data show that remdesivir is a promising antiviral treatment against MERS that could be considered for implementation in clinical trials,” they wrote in the journal PNAS. “It may also have utility for related coronaviruses such as the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV emerging from Wuhan, China.”

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, now has almost 80,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including over 2600 deaths. Picture: Hector Retamal/AFP

However, scientists will need to go through human trials to be sure the drug can work.

An NIH spokesman said: “Remdesivir has previously protected animals against a variety of viruses in lab experiments. The drug has been shown experimentally to effectively treat monkeys infected with ebola and Nipah viruses.

“The scientists indicate that the promising study results support additional clinical trials of remdesivir for MERS-CoV and 2019-nCoV.

“At least two clinical trials of remdesivir for 2019-nCoV are under way in China, and other patients with 2019-nCoV infection have received the drug under a compassionate use protocol.”

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, now has almost 80,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including over 2600 deaths.

A seventh person has died from the coronavirus in Italy, according to media reports, as Europe plunges into a dramatic lockdown.

More than 200 people have now tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in Italy – the biggest outbreak reported in Europe so far.

The massive surge in coronavirus cases has sparked fears across Europe. Picture: Andrea Pattaro/AFP

The dramatic surge in cases has sparked fears across the continent with both Italy and neighbouring countries scrambling to prevent potential cross-border spread.

On Monday, police began manning checkpoints around quarantined towns in the country’s north, while residents stocked up on food.

Croatia, Hungary and Ireland advised against travel to the affected areas, while Italians travelling abroad felt the effects of the crackdown.

The Irish, Hungarian and Croatian foreign ministries on Monday advised against travel to Italy’s north, while the Croatian education ministry recommended that all school trips to Italy planned in the next month be cancelled.

Visitors coming in from Italy, China or South Korea were being monitored, as they were in Albania.