Coronavirus: eight Covid-19 vaccine candidates are in clinical trial, WHO says

Another 110 vaccine candidates are in various stages of development, as governments around the world scramble to contain the virus

Pharmaceutical firms and health institutes in countries including the US, China and Germany have led the development to treat Covid-19 patients

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A health worker carries out vaccine research in Brazil on March 26, 2020. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:53pm, 16 May 2020Updated: 11:53pm, 16 May 2020

Eight vaccine candidates for the coronavirus disease are in clinical trial with another 110 in various stages of development, as governments around the world scramble to contain the virus, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data.

Pharmaceutical companies and health institutes in countries including the United States, China and Germany have led the development to treat Covid-19 patients.

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a national project to accelerate development of a coronavirus vaccine, saying he hopes for results by the “end of the year” or “maybe before”.

In Japan, a vaccine for the virus that has killed around 300,000 people worldwide is unlikely to be available before the end of the year, medical experts say.

A laboratory technician carries about research for a Covid-19 vaccine at Inselspital Universitaetsspital Bern university hospital in Bern on April 22, 2020. Photo: Reuters

US biotech company Moderna has undertaken clinical trials since March in collaboration with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.