Coronavirus latest: EU offers vaccine hope as WHO warns Covid-19 ‘may never go away’
- Japan lifts virus emergency in most regions; Sanofi walks back after saying US would get vaccine first
- Cases found in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camp; Russia infections surpass 250,000
World leaders past and present have insisted that any eventual vaccines and treatments should be made available to everyone free of charge, with the global death toll from the disease nearing 300,000.
The pandemic has caused massive social and economic upheaval across the planet and while some nations have begun easing punishing lockdowns, fears of a second wave have kept many businesses shuttered and people confined to their homes.
With the race to find a vaccine gathering pace, the European Medicines Agency said one could possibly be ready in a year based on data from trials under way.
Announcing the forecast at a video news conference, Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy, stressed that it was a “best-case scenario”.
“We know also that there may be delays,” he said, voicing scepticism over reports a vaccine could be ready as early as September.