A CORONAVIRUS vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford administered using an inhaler, could be ready by as early as August.
Speaking at an online lecture, Irish scientist Professor Adrian, from Oxford University’s Centre for Personalised Medicine said researchers are “80 per cent confident” the Covid-19 vaccine they are developing will work.
According to Professor Hill, who is heading up the project, the arrival of the vaccine could depend on whether transmission rates continue to decline.
“We are guessing that might be around about August time - it might be before if cases do not decline as quickly as we expect, or be later if we run out of cases,” he said.
Professor Hill previously warned the research could be slowed if transmission rates in the UK fall too low.
If too few volunteers catch the virus, the drug trial would be unable to provide an immediate accurate assessment of whether the vaccine is effective or not.
The second phase of the trial involving 10,260 adults over 55 and children started in April.
Professor Adrian Hill(Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca has today confirmed it will produce two billion doses of the vaccine, once it has been proven effective.
According to Professor Hill, the drug will take the form of an inhaler.
Astra Zeneca has already agreed to supply 100 million doses of the potential vaccine to the UK.
The company has also signed a massive $1 billion deal with the US government for a coronavirus vaccine.
See More: Adrian Hill, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Oxford University
