In what can be perceived as good news, the oxford COVID-19 vaccine which is advanced stages of the trial could be rolled out in as little as three months in the UK, the Times reported, citing government scientists.
The scientists hope that the regulators approve the vaccine before the beginning of 2021.
The Times said that a full COVID-19 immunization programme, which would exclude children, could be quicker than experts predicted. According to the estimates by the health officials, very adult could receive a dose of the vaccine within six months.
The vaccine candidate under trial by University of Oxford scientists in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is the furthest in the process of trials and, according to a report in The Times’, it could be given the required clearances by Christmas in December.
The newspaper quoted UK government sources involved in the making and distribution of vaccines as saying that a full vaccine roll-out programme for adults could take six months or less after approval.
Meanwhile, European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday it has started reviewing data on AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, in real time, the first of such moves aimed at speeding up any approval process in the region for a vaccine.
The agency has raised the chances of the British vaccine, which is seen as leading the race for a successful vaccine against COVID-19. Thius, it has also become the first to be approved in Europe for treating the COVID-19 virus.
Last month, the late-stage trials of the oxford COVID-19 vaccine were suspended after an illness in a study subject in Britain, casting doubts on an early rollout.
“On 6 September, the standard review process triggered a voluntary pause to vaccination across all global trials to allow the review of safety data by independent committees, and international regulators,” AstraZeneca said.
