The Korea National Institute of Health, a research body under the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it would hold a video conference with the Italian National Institute of Health to discuss cooperation for joint research to develop a Covid-19 vaccine and a treatment.

Earlier, the two institutes agreed to exchange scholars and human resources and held a joint symposium to solidify the research collaboration network.

The upcoming video conference aims to strengthen ties to study new infectious diseases, including Covid-19, prevent Covid-19 from spreading further, and share research outcomes for the Covid-19 vaccine and treatment development.

At the conference, the two countries will present experiences of treating Covid-19 patients and discuss how to conduct joint clinical trials.

“To overcome the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Korean and Italian researchers will share Covid-19-related information and research status to further strengthen the research cooperation between the two countries,” said Kim Sung-soon, head of the institute’s infectious disease center.