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Sean Elias
The government is “throwing everything” at developing a coronavirus vaccine, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
He told the daily Downing Street briefing that human trials for a vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, would begin on Thursday.
He also addressed the shortage of protective gear for the NHS, saying the government was talking to thousands of suppliers but not all could deliver.
It comes as the UK recorded another 823 coronavirus deaths in UK hospitals.
That takes the total number to 17,337.
Official figures show deaths hit a 20-year-high in England and Wales in the week up to 10 April – nearly double what would have been expected – driven by 6,200 fatalities attributed to coronavirus.
These figures cover all settings, including care homes and deaths in the community as well as hospitals.
Mr Hancock told the No 10 briefing that “the best way to defeat coronavirus” was through a vaccine.
The process was “trial and error”, he said, but the UK was at the “front of the global effort” and had invested more money than any other country.
He said two leading vaccine developments at UK universities – Imperial College London and the University of Oxford – would receive a total of £42.5m to support their clinical trials.
“Both of these promising projects are making rapid progress and I’ve told the scientists leading them we will do everything in our power to support.”
He added: “After all, the upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it.”
