UK Begins Virus Vaccine Trial; France Pledges Drug Funding

About a dozen vaccine candidates currently in early stages of testing in thousands of people. There is no guarantee any will work but there’s high hope. Under-20s half as likely to contract coronavirus: Study

Scientists at Imperial College London will start immunising people in Britain this week with their experimental coronavirus shot, while pharmaceutical company Sanofi and the French government announced more than 800 million euros ($890 million) in investment on Tuesday as part of the worldwide race to find an effective vaccine.

About a dozen vaccine candidates are currently in early stages of testing in thousands of people. There are no guarantees any will work but there’s increasing hope that at least some could be ready by the end of the year.

Many scientists have warned that the pandemic that has already infected at least 8 million people and killed over 437,000 worldwide might only be stopped with an effective vaccine, which typically takes years to develop.

In a statement, the British government said 300 healthy people will be immunised with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed at Imperial, which has been backed by 41 million pounds ($51 million) in government funding.