Is There a Cure for COVID-19? (Answer: Not Yet)

Is there a cure?

• There is not yet an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus.
• Medical teams around the world are working to develop a vaccine, antiviral medication, or other means of stopping the virus' spread—and curing those who’ve already fallen ill with COVID-19.

Who's working on a cure?

• Multiple companies, led by Moderna Therapeutics, whose National Institutes of Health-partnered project is expected to enter a clinical study in April, are advancing vaccines toward human trials.
• However, it’s unlikely that a vaccine will be available in the near future.
• Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, says it’s “unlikely” that there will be a vaccine that’s ready to be used in a large patient population and large clinical trial in the next few months. According to Marks, a real late-stage trial is likely to be “months away.”

—Lorelei Yang