Novavax will inject 131 volunteers in the first phase of the trial testing the safety of the vaccine and looking for signs of its effectiveness.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford partnership is hoping to produce 100 million doses by the end of the year and prioritise supply in the UK, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said.
Trump expressed his hope that a vaccine would be in place before the end of the year and said his administration would mobilise its forces to get a vaccine distributed once one was developed.
The European Medicines Agency is also looking at therapeutics to help deal with the effects of the coronavirus, some of which could see approval by this summer.
The number of vaccine doses ordered around the country has fallen sharply since mid-March, the CDC said, citing data from the Vaccine Tracking System.
From the US to China, scientists are racing to develop a drug that can fight the deadly pandemic.
The trial will be conducted on 200 healthy people in the first stage. Meanwhile, the world's largest vaccine maker says it's unlikely Covid-19 vaccines can be mass-produced before second half of 2021.
They’re fast-tracking the testing and regulatory review of vaccines with no guarantee they will prove effective. They’re building and re-tooling plants for vaccines with slim chances of being approved
The trial will be conducted on 200 healthy people aged between 18 and 55 in the first stage and on more people, including those at higher risk from the disease, in a second stage.
Initial vaccine tests focus on safety, and researchers in both countries are trying out different doses of different types of shots. Second phase allows vaccines to be tested to look for signs that they protect against infection.
Currently, there are no approved medicines or preventive vaccines targeting the novel coronavirus, with most patients receiving only supportive care, such as help with their breathing.
The trial comes after US health officials said last week they had started a trial to evaluate a possible vaccine in Seattle.
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