Lessons learned from SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic help better understand the COVID-19 in order to develop a vaccine.
In the article Immune responses in COVID-19 and potential vaccines: Lessons learned from SARS and MERS epidemic by Eakachai Prompetchara, Chutitorn Ketloy and Tanapat Palaga, published in Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology in March 2020, a comparative study of the history of SARS and MERS coronaviruses, along with gathering information through case studies and the immune response of the host, can help, according to the authors, developing a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 more rapidly during the pandemic that is taking place at the moment, always with the positive assessment of the regulatory authorities regarding the process and adequate information, in order to guarantee the safety of volunteers.
Equivalent methods were employed in similar backgrounds to develop Zika virus vaccine, in which much has been learned about making arrangements at an increasing rate while the outbreak was still ongoing.