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more than 100 possible vaccines in development

Canadian expert says he is confident COVID-19 vaccine is months, not years away

Jun 12, 2020 | 1:53 PM

OTTAWA — One of Canada’s preeminent infectious disease experts says he is confident a vaccine for COVID-19 will be ready in months, not years.

Dr. Gary Kobinger, director of the Research Centre on Infectious Diseases at Laval University in Quebec, says there are more than 100 possible vaccines in development for COVID-19 around the world.

Kobinger, who helped develop a vaccine and treatment for the deadly Ebola virus, is working with labs in Canada, the United States, Chile, China, Europe and Africa on their various candidates.

Many governments and public health experts have warned the physical distancing restrictions and public gathering limitations in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 may need to remain in place until a vaccine can be developed.

Kobinger says most vaccines usually take more than a decade to get to the market, but that in this case, with so many of the world’s brightest minds working on the problem, the work is going much faster than usual.

Kobinger was speaking today with Gov. Gen. Julie Payette as part of her series of virtual conversations.

This report was first published June 12, 2020.

The Canadian Press