Coronavirus: To cure the humans, scientists rush to experiment on primates

To cure the humans, first you get the monkeys sick.

Finding the right animal as a research model for the new and deadly coronavirus is crucial for learning how to treat it. The ideal subject is a non-human primate that shows similar symptoms: coughing, sneezing, fever and chest congestion. The hunt is on in the US, tightly coordinated among a small coalition of labs authorised to raise monkeys for research. High hopes are riding on a troop of Texas baboons.

Covid-19 has infected at least 101,000 people and killed almost 3,500 since the world began keeping track in December, and academics, companies