Australian Researchers Mapped The Human Immune Response To COVID-19

Vaccine making illustration (pixabay)

JAKARTA - Australian researchers have successfully mapped the immune response of one of the country's first COVID-19 patients. These findings are a major stepping stone in developing vaccines and appropriate treatments for people with COVID-19.

Launching from Reuters, scientists at Australia's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, have mapped the viral pattern of COVID-19. Where they examined a blood sample of a woman in her 40s who was positive for the corona virus.

From this research, they finally found that the human immune system responds to the virus that causes COVID-19 in the same way they do against the flu.

The findings are expected to help scientists understand why some patients recover on their own. Others had persistent symptoms of more serious breathing problems, the researchers said.

"People can use our methods to understand the immune response in the face of the larger COVID-19 virus and also understand what is missing in those with fatal outcomes," said Professor of microbiology and immunology Katherine Kedzierska at the University of Melbourne.

When researchers monitored the immune response of COVID-19 patients in Australia, they were able to accurately predict when those patients would recover

Researchers did not name the patient in the blood test, but said he was an Australian national who had been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

Helping to stop the spread of coronavirus is something we can all do. Watch this video for practical tips. pic.twitter.com/mIEkMJDqW0

- Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) March 18, 2020

Health Secretary Greg Hunt described these developments as an overview for the world and a major development in research on the disease.

"It's about rapid tracking of vaccines by identifying which candidates are most likely to succeed. It's also about tracing potential therapies and treatments for patients who already have the coronavirus," said Minister Hunt.

There are 1,323 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia. A total of 4 people were declared dead and eight people managed to recover from the virus.

At least 12 pharmaceutical companies around the world are working on a vaccine for the coronavirus. The investment cost for developing this vaccine is estimated at US $ 80 million.

Even if the results of research and trials are successful, a vaccine for the new corona virus can be produced one year later. That is not yet with the approval of the world health organization (WHO) to distribute the vaccine worldwide.

Until now, COVID-19 has infected more than 170,000 people worldwide and killed around 7,000 people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most of those infected with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms.