That's a difficult one to answer atm tbh. Several pharmaceutical companies are helping research, and not always to different projects from different countries but sometimes the same one, so i simply don't really know.
We aren't really anywhere near that positive situation yet anyway - what would be essential is getting the huge chemical manufacturers involved who could take on such a gigantic task. The huge pharmaceuticals or multinational chemical conglomerates would be the ideal candidates whichever way the licensing and profits were apportioned.
Normally it would take up to ten years to develop and fully test such a vaccine but with some of the really top research teams throughout the world working with slightly different approaches it gives us several shots at an effective one being found and increases our chances of getting there in only a fraction of that scary ten years, perhaps even early 2021 but perhaps more realistically possibly a year to 18 months.
We cannot live this way and survive economically for anything even like that long. It's why, for all the understandable calls of take no chances, a phased and controlled opening of businesses has to take place and is inevitable even if not ideally appropriate until we're clearly on the downward slope.
A vaccine may not be a year to 18 months away it could take a few years. Economic misery and depression will kill millions both metaphorically and actually, virus or no virus. It's not a stupid move to tolerate the virus, but ready to take some measures again to keep it under control. A second phase of infection is almost inevitable anyway whatever measures are taken and some like social distancing, testing, tracing and shielding the vulnerable are here long term.
(I've been in contact with my brother today, who's a consultant in the main hospital for Covid-19 in Newcastle
He said they haven't had anything like the number of Covid 19 cases they've put beds aside for, and really the resources being allocated to this are way beyond demand they're as if planning for a worst possible case scenario. The effect of doing so though is having a hugely and unforseen detrimental effect on both the profile, urgency and efficacy of the treatment for other major life threatening conditions especially - cancer, heart disease and strokes - the emergency is rapidly changing into a non coronavirus one. (outside London, and to a lesser extent the West Midlands, easily the worst hit and notable hot spot)
He thinks the money spent on what could be largely unused Nightingale hospitals could have been far better used in other areas within the NHS - says sometimes the media figures lack context as to how many are affected by different conditions and the consequent risks involved)
