Increased freedom of movement means an increased risk of contracting the virus, and so national labs and private firms are labouring to find the right formula for a vaccine. The race for a vaccine has exposed a raw nerve in relations between the United States and China, where the virus was first detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan. Two US agencies warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were trying to steal Covid-19 vaccine research - a claim Beijing rejected as "smearing" its reputation. But a row erupted in France after drugmaker Sanofi said it would reserve first shipments of any vaccine it discovered to the United States. The United States has registered nearly 86,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 -- the highest toll of any nation.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 15, 2020 00:56 UTC