Has a vaccine for the coronavirus been discovered?

That is the claim on an image being circulated on messaging platform, WhatsApp.

The image comes with a title that says, “NO MORE CORONA VIRUS DEATHS: God bless Isrealites. Finally, they have discovered vaccine for coronaviruses. COVID 19.”

The image has three collaged pictures, with one being a vial tagged “Coronavirus Vaccine. Injections only.”

Statistics on the coronavirus pandemic

The world has recorded over 5.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 2.5 million recoveries and 358,000 deaths.

Africa meanwhile has recorded over 128,500 confirmed cases, with more than 53,000 recoveries and 3,700 deaths.

Over 128,500 confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent - with more than 53,000 recoveries & 3,700 deaths. View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK7WnuG pic.twitter.com/H7aVNiWugS

— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) May 29, 2020

Verification

“The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against 2019-nCoV, and WHO is supporting their efforts.” The specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health has stated on the myth-busters page of its website.

According to the World Health Organization, there are currently no drugs licensed for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.

“It is not true,” a Communications Adviser at World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Collins Boakye-Agyemang told GhanaFact.

“No pharmaceutical products have yet been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19. However, a number of medicines have been suggested as potential investigational therapies, many of which are now being or will soon be studied in clinical trials, including the Solidarity trial co-sponsored by WHO and participating countries,” he added.

“Isrealites” or Israel

The image credits “Isrealites” for developing the vaccine.

If this is in reference to Israel, then there are reports that scientists at Israel’s Institute for Biological Research are soon expected to announce the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.

However, the digital platform of the longest-running Israeli newspaper – Haaretz that first reported the story and Reuters (here) in their reports have said for the vaccine to be deemed effective or safe to use, there will have to be many months of trials and experiments.

So, has a vaccine for the coronavirus been discovered? Just not yet.

Verdict

The claim is rated false.