China publicly shares the new coronavirus sequence

The 2019 national commemoration put research, practitioners and public health in conversation.

The vaccine met WHO standards for quality, safety and efficacy for procurement by health agencies.

Prequalification helped pave the way for vaccine access in countries at risk of outbreaks.

Clinical research and public health response informed the vaccine’s path to prequalification.

The 12 November decision facilitated access but did not mean Ebola risk was gone.

The newly available sequence let international teams compare the virus with other coronaviruses.

Public sequence data supplied a basis for molecular assays; validation and distribution followed later.

The dated release concerns genetic information, not a claim that vaccines or treatments were already available.

WHO and Africa CDC launched a 25-member committee to advise on testing proposed traditional therapies for COVID-19.

The newly launched panel emphasized clinical trials that assess efficacy, safety and quality; it did not certify a COVID-19 remedy.