Coronavirus vaccine could take 20 months to develop, France's Pasteur Institute Foundation says

A vaccine to treat the newest deadly strain of the coronavirus could be made available in 20 months' time, an official at France’s Pasteur Institute Foundation said Friday.

Several institutes and companies have announced efforts to develop, though estimates of when the vaccine would be ready are sobering.

Germany's research minister said Friday she expected a vaccine for coronavirus to be developed within months.

"If we want to contain this illness then it is good if we have a vaccine in a relatively short time and we assume this will be in a few months," said Research Minister Anja Karliczek.

She announced biopharmaceutical company CureVac AG and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said they were working together to develop a vaccine against the virus, first detected in China in December.