United Kingdom Health Secretary, Matt Hancock has said the government is “throwing everything” at finding a vaccine for Covid-19 as the disease continues to ravage the country.
He said this at the daily Downing Street briefing where he announced that human trials for a vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, would begin on Thursday, BBC reports.
Mr Hancock told journalists at the No 10 briefing that “the best way to defeat coronavirus” was through a vaccine.
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.
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.
