indiaUpdated: May 07, 2020 15:52 ISTDeliberately infecting healthy volunteers with the virus that causes Covid-19 may speed studies of vaccines against the deadly pathogen, the World Health Organization said. Researchers around the world are racing to develop vaccines to protect against the deadly coronavirus and allow countries to rebuild teetering economies. So-called challenge studies, where treatments or preventatives are tested directly against the infection in informed volunteers, might speed the path of vaccines to the public. Health-care workers and researchers would be particularly appropriate for coronavirus challenge studies, according to the report, as they already face a higher probability of infection and are well informed about its risks. Waiting for both groups to become exposed to the illness in their regular daily lives can take months, while challenge studies would ensure that the subjects would promptly come into contact with the virus.

Source: Hindustan Times May 07, 2020 10:20 UTC