Da Coronavirus is about to be hit with dat green wave

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Researchers based at Tulane‘s National Primate Research Center in Covington are about to embark on a program designed to find a vaccine for coronavirus.

On a sprawling 500-acre campus just off busy Highway 90, Covington researchers are finding solutions for the coronavirus.

The outbreak has now spread to nearly 20 countries including the United States and new safety procedures are being stepped up. Dr. Jay Rappaport will lead a team that will soon receive live samples of coronavirus, so that they may begin cutting edge lab work in search of a vaccine.

“This is what our facility was billed for and what we do,” he said.

They will infect nonhuman primate species and develop an animal model of the disease. With the help of a small team of veterinarians and researchers, Dr. Rappaport hopes to develop a vaccine within the six-month time frame of the grant.

“Now we know more and with microbiology, these things can be done quickly,” Rappaport said.

This facility is heavily secured. You might say it’s job one and center officials probably say they’ve never had an escape of any virus or agent they worked on. The primate center has alerted St. Tammany officials and nearby residents about the project. The biosafety lab is also being ramped up.

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