With 709 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa, the race is on to find a cure for the virus which is ravaging the globe as it goes viral.
As South Africans brace themselves for a 21-day lockdown in an attempt to curb the spread of the feared coronavirus, medical professionals are determined to find a cure.
South Africa is now among a group of countries, who have committed themselves to be a part of a series of smaller vaccine trials. They will be testing different methods and treatments which can be potentially used to combat COVID-19.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) says the development of a vaccine may take several months, other treatments may be developed much faster.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explains that the multinational series of smaller trials of treatments are designed in order to gather the necessary data on which are the most effective.
He says this will be dubbed the Solidarity Trial and he believes more countries will join the initiative to combat COVID-19.
Among the countries which have already confirmed that they will join the initiative, are Argentina, Canada, Iran, France, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Bahrain.
