Watch movies, buy pens, be delivered in less than 24 hours… and even manufacture vaccines! Definitely, Amazon still has something to surprise us with. The e-commerce giant would be on a secret project, called “Gesundheit Project” (health project) to find a vaccine against… the common cold, reveals CNBC. If this disease usually rots us in winter, in the face of Covid-19, it loses its effect.
The work on this vaccine is shrouded in mystery. It would have been underway for several years already, within a branch soberly titled “Grand Challenge”, which Amazon does not publicly recognize. Its goal ? Solve the great problems of humanity. Among them… The common cold.
A complex vaccine
In these times of the global coronavirus epidemic, research is something to smile about. Still, finding a vaccine for the common cold would be a tall order. There are more than 160 types of rhinovirus that are constantly evolving and are very easily resistant to treatment. Other researchers are already active on the file, within the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.
On the other hand, CNBC points out that the common cold, no matter how mild, represents a cost of 40 billion dollars in the United States each year (according to a study dating from 2003), between visits to the doctor and the loss of patient productivity. Colds lasting up to a week are also believed to be responsible for around 200 million missed school days, and therefore potentially parents out of the office.
A vaccine would save states … but would health insurance fund it? Moreover, the real challenge for researchers is to create a vaccine that prevents a common disease, without creating more serious side effects.
Read also:
Coronavirus (Covid-19): symptoms and modes of transmission
How to protect yourself from the coronavirus
