Scientists in Australia are trying to find the specific animal species that COVID-19 originated from. An expert said the information is critical to developing a vaccine and improving treatment protocol.

Many scientists are working to create a COVID-19 vaccine as part of an unprecedented global effort. They say information sharing has helped increase what they know about COVID-19 and will likely reduce the amount of time it takes to produce a vaccine, potentially in just 18 months.

One theory being investigated is that the virus made the jump to humans from pangolins.