"We have to ensure that we have a two-pronged approach,"Associate Prof Jo Kirman, of the University of Otago microbiology and immunology department, said yesterday.
Recent vaccine progress was "fantastic" news, but a vaccine would take time to implement, Prof Kirman said.
News swept the world this week that a vaccine being tested by Pfizer and BioNTech could be 90% effective against Covid-19.
However, big hurdles had to be crossed before that type of vaccine could be rolled out here.
Such a vaccine could not be manufactured in New Zealand or Australia, and because it must never reach a temperature above -60degC, transporting and storing it would be very challenging.
New Zealand should invest more funds in finding a therapeutic answer, which would have a swifter impact than a vaccine.
A therapeutic solution had worked effectively against the HIV virus, for which no suitable vaccine had been found despite many years and much money being spent.
The expertise and facilities to research and produce such therapeutics were already here and Otago researchers were among those working to develop such approaches against Covid-19.
Prof Kirman is an expert on the immune response to, and vaccine search for, tuberculosis.
She said a low-cost therapeutic might be an effective and fast way to take the sting out of the pandemic.
If a drug could keep sick people out of hospital and intensive care, Covid-19 would become less scary and health system demands would be cut.
Many people infected with the virus showed no symptoms or only mild symptoms.
If cost-effective and safe ways could be found to reduce the symptoms of the severely affected, we might be able to live with the virus, as we already lived with other viral respiratory infections, she said.
