Argentine Scientists Working on COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Government

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentine scientists are working with state funding to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Roberto Salvarezza said Thursday, January 28th.

“For a few months we have been supporting the work of two laboratories” — the National University of Litoral and the National University of San Martin, which in conjunction with the    National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, “are developing a vaccine based on the use of a recombinant protein,” Salvarezza told local radio.

It is “a different strategy from the one used by the different vaccines” available so far, and consists of a protein-based inoculation to spark the body’s production of antibodies, said Salvarezza.

“It is not a matter of giving a virus or the genetic material, but it is a protein that covers the virus so that our body directly generates antibodies,” he said.

“It is important that Argentina be able to design a vaccine. We have already demonstrated that we have the capacity to produce it,” said the minister, adding the project has reached an advanced stage and a development schedule will be announced soon.

The potential development of a vaccine joins other Argentine achievements in the battle against the pandemic, including genome sequencing of the virus, rapid tests to diagnose the disease, and treatment of patients with the plasma of those convalescing from COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, the South American country reported 1,896,053 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 47,435 deaths from the disease.