BANGKOK, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Thai Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday told the media that medical authorities had made progress in developing a vaccine for the COVID-19 after laboratory trials of a prototype proved successful.

The Thai research team injected laboratory mice with a prototype DNA vaccine and then tested their blood to check whether the mice had developed antibodies, said Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences at the Ministry of Public Health.

Opas said test results from the department found that the mice developed a satisfactory level of antibodies.

He said the next step would be to test the prototype vaccine on humans to check whether the immune response is on a similar level to mice.

Opas also said that even though the vaccine development in Thailand is not as advanced as in countries like China, the United States or in European countries, hopefully Thai scientists will develop a COVID-19 vaccine that will stand the test of time.