US firm claims breakthrough in Covid-19 antibody treatment

A California-based biopharmaceutical company has claimed to have discovered an antibody that could protect people from novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and eject it out of the human body within four days.

Sorrento Therapeutics claims that the STI-1499 antibody can provide “100% inhibition” of the coronavirus. It added that the treatment could be available months prior to the release of a vaccine into the market.

“We want to emphasize there is a cure. There is a solution that works 100 percent,” Dr. Henry Ji, founder and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics said.

“If we have the neutralizing antibody in your body, you don’t need the social distancing. You can open up a society without fear.”

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 309,296 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. At least 4,588,360 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,618,800 are now considered recovered.

The country to have registered the most number of deaths over the last 24 hours is the United States, with 1,247, followed by Brazil with 824 and Britain with 468. The United States also has the highest number of deaths overall with 87,991 from 1,456,029 cases. At least 250,747 people have been declared recovered.

Britain has the second highest toll overall, with 34,466 deaths from 240,161 cases. It is followed by Italy with 31,763 deaths and 224,760 cases.

France has recorded 27,625 deaths for 178,870 infections (though this last figure has not been updated since Thursday). Spain has recorded 27,563 fatalities for 230,698 cases.

China — excluding Hong Kong and Macau — has to date declared 4,633 deaths and 82,941 cases. It has 78,219 recovered cases.