US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last September requiring health agencies to expand the use of alternative production methods. Why the egg method won’t work for a coronavirus vaccineĪs the coronavirus pandemic spreads, scientists and governments around the world are racing to develop a vaccine – but eggs won’t be the answer, said John Nicholls, a Hong Kong University clinical professor of pathology.ĭue to having different receptors and other characteristics, the novel coronavirus isn’t able to replicate inside eggs the way flu viruses can, Nicholls said.Įven beyond the immediate problem of the coronavirus, US officials have been pushing for non-egg alternatives in recent years.
It just depends on the illness, as some virus strains can’t incubate inside eggs. That might seem like a lot of money to spend on eggs, but each year the flu costs the US about $10.4 billion in hospitalizations and treatments, according to the CDC.Īnd the eggs aren’t only useful for flu vaccines – they could potentially be used to develop vaccines for other illnesses, said Leo Poon, head of public health laboratory sciences at Hong Kong University (HKU).
Part of that $42 million contract required that the vaccine manufacturer had “both a physical security program and a biosecurity program to provide protection against man-made and natural threats,” according to the GOA report.
