Published 12:27 IST, March 16th 2020
COVID-19 vaccine: Trump administration persuades German company to move research to US
Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States.
Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States. According to international media reports, US was looking into how it could gain access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac. US President Donald Trump had reportedly also offered funds to lure the company to US and the German government, on the other hand, made counter-offers to tempt to stay.
The German government has also insisted that no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccines. A German Health Ministry spokesperson reportedly also said that the government is very interested in ensuring that the vaccines and active substances against coronavirus develop in Germany and Europe. The spokesperson further added that the German government is also in intensive exchange with the company.
A local German news outlet also reported that Trump was trying to secure the scientists' work exclusively, and would do anything to get a vaccine for the US. However, CurVac rejected all the rumours of an acquisition. CureVac's main investor Dietmar Hopp, in a statement, said, that the company wanted to develop a coronavirus vaccine to help people not just regionally but in solidarity across the world.
Global pandemic
Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine as coronavirus cases continue to grow. They are also trying to pursue different types of vaccines which are not only faster to produce than traditional inoculations but might also prove potent. Several researchers even aim for temporary vaccines, such as shots that might guard people's health a month or two at a time while longer-lasting protection is developed.
The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 1,69,000 people and left more than 6,500 dead. The death toll in the United States is more than 60, while infections neared 3,700 across 49 states and the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus as a global pandemic after the virus spread to more than 155 countries and territories, resulting in the deaths of more than 6,500 people worldwide.
Updated 12:27 IST, March 16th 2020