Vietnam has started mouse testing of coronavirus vaccine, Zing.vn reported, citing a representative from state-run No.1 Vaccine and Biological Company (VABIOTECH) under the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Do Tuan Dat, president of Hanoi-based VABIOTECH, said that as soon as Vietnam confirmed the first Covid-19 infection in January, the company's scientists collaborated with the UK's Bristol University to research a vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

Researchers test a potential coronavirus vaccine on a mouse at a laboratory in Vietnam’s central province of Khanh Hoa. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine research is based on virus vector technology. The study was successful in creating a strain carrying this specific antigen region, Dat said.

He added that the antigen of SARS-CoV-2 in the vaccine component will help Covid-19 patients’ bodies generate active antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, avoiding the risk of infection. This is an important input for vaccine production.

After testing the vaccine on mice for two weeks, scientists will conduct mice's blood analysis, sending samples to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to evaluate the ability to produce antibodies against coronavirus, Dat noted.

He stressed that the vaccine will be tested further in animals and evaluated for safety and effectiveness before a manufacturing process is embarked on.

There are currently no approved vaccines or medication for the Covid-19, which has killed 248,304 people worldwide and infected more than 3.5 million.

As of May 4, Vietnam recorded 271 cases of Covid-19, of which 219 have been cured and discharged from hospital. The remaining 52 patients are being treated under good condition.