Trump says he is willing to cooperate with China to bring SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to the United States

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                  / KUCINTA SETIA

As tensions between Beijing and Washington continue to escalate, US President Trump said on 21 July 2020 that he is willing to cooperate with China or other countries to bring a successful SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to the United States.

According to Reuters, when asked whether he would cooperate with China to develop vaccines for the American people, Trump said, "We are willing to cooperate with anyone who can bring us good results."

The day before, researchers said that the vaccine jointly developed by the Chinese company CanSino Bio and the Chinese military research institute seemed safe and induced an immune response in most volunteers.

Several other companies' vaccines are also preparing for such trials, including Moderna in the United States, and a vaccine developed in cooperation between the German biotech company BioNTech and the American pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer. The early/mid-term joint trial data of a vaccine being developed by researchers from the University of Oxford and the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca were also released on Monday.

Trump has long accused China of improper handling of the epidemic. The epidemic has caused more than 140,000 deaths in the United States, and the development of a rapidly available vaccine is becoming increasingly urgent.

"I think we will achieve some very good results. We are already conducting tests. No one thought it might be possible," Trump said. "I think everyone will be in a short period of time in the future, maybe very short. During the period, I saw something, absolutely related to very good treatments and vaccines."