Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine

Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine will most likely be rolled out in the 'first few months' of next year, according to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The jab was expected at the end of 2020 but its creators have tempered expectations and pushed it back to next year.

Mr Hancock said today he still had some optimism the most vulnerable people will get their hands on the vaccine in the coming months in a 'best-case scenario'.

But he admitted the more likely outcome would be a 2021 roll out of the jab, gadai bpkb terdekat known as AZD1222, which was created by Oxford and owned by UK drug giant AstraZeneca.

The Health Secretary revealed manufacturing was already underway in the UK for 30million doses, enough to vaccinate half the population.

He said that having them on standby meant they could be dished out to those most in need as soon as the vaccine is given the green light by regulators.

Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine will most likely be rolled out in the 'first few months' of next year, according to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock

The jab was expected at the end of 2020 but its creators have had to temper expectations after community transmission began to fizzle out in Britain and stall crucial trials needed to seal its approval

Speaking jaminan bpkb mobil terdekat on LBC radio today, Mr Hancock said: 'We have got 30 million doses already contracted with AstraZeneca.

'In fact they are starting to manufacture those doses already, ahead of approval, so that should approval come through - and it's still not certain but it is looking up - should that approval come through then we are ready to roll out.

'The best-case scenario is that happens this year.

I think more likely is the early part of next year - in the first few months of next year is the most likely.

'But we've also bought vaccine ahead of it getting approved from a whole different series of international vaccines as well.'

It has not yet been proven that Oxford's vaccine works but early trials have heralded promising results, with tests showing the vaccine is safe to use in humans and appears to provoke an immune response.

But data that proves it protects people is not expected until later this year.

More than 50,000 people worldwide are taking part in 'phase 3' studies to see whether the Oxford jab can actually prevent people getting infected with Covid-19. 

In these tests the vaccine is being given to tens of thousands of people in real-world environments to see if it stops them from catching Covid-19 in the community.

Scientists behind the jab had to move their studies abroad over the summer - to South Africa, Brazil and the US - where Covid-19 is still rife, to speed up the trials.

There are not enough people catching the virus in the UK anymore to be able to reliably test whether the jab is working.