Don’t bank on a coronavirus vaccine, says Sir Patrick Vallance

The government’s chief scientific adviser has cautioned against banking on a OVID-19 jab, warning that new vaccines are “long shots”.

Oxford University researchers are planning to begin human trials of a vaccine this week and believe that they could have results showing whether it works as early as September.

However, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, has cautioned that even if a vaccine shows signs of protecting against the virus, ensuring that it is safe could take much longer.

“All new vaccines that come into development are long shots. Only some end up being successful,” he said yesterday. “Coronavirus will be no different and presents new challenges for vaccine development. This will take time.”

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Source: The Times, 20 April 2020