Coronaviruses

2003: SARS

2012: MERS

2019: COVID-19

The warning signs have been there for 16 years. Why no vaccines? Why are we so unprepared? Money and complacency.

Money: There was no market for a catch-all coronavirus vaccine after the relatively short-lived SARS and MERS episodes so no commercial drug company would go all out to develop one. And no national health authority/government would fund the research.

Complacency: SARS was a one-off, wasn't it? MERS was a one-off wasn't it? COVID-19...…..

The current outbreak has the potential to be really nasty. The death rate seems to be around 1 in 100. That's around about the same as the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Think on't.

And even if we get away with this one; what about the next...……………..?