President Xi Jinping urges fast development of coronavirus vaccine

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Monday for the fast development of effective vaccine and treatment drugs for the novel coronavirus during an inspection tour to two major institutions currently researching COVID-19.

Technology is the major way to conquer the battle against the epidemic, President Xi pointed out as he learned about the progress on a potential vaccine and treatment options. "We need to command more core technologies with our own intellectual property," he stressed.

The coronavirus, first discovered in central China's Hubei Province last December, has infected nearly 90,000 people worldwide, over 80,100 of whom are in China, and killed more than 3,000. So far, there hasn't been any vaccine for the novel coronavirus, although several options are being tested.

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