Oxford University's Gilbert says vaccine rollout possible by Xmas, but not certain

The lead researcher in Oxford University's push to find a Covid-19 vaccine alongside AstraZeneca cautioned on Tuesday that there could be no certainty that it could be rolled out by Christmas - although it was possible.

In remarks to BBC Radio, Sarah Gilbert, said: "The end-of-the-year target for getting vaccine rollout, it's a possibility but there's absolutely no certainty about that, because we need three things to happen."

First, she said, clinical trials needed to show that it worked, large amounts had to be manufactured and health regulators needed to quickly sign-off on its 'emergency use'.

Shortly after noon on Tuesday, the head of the European Medicines Agency, Marco Cavaleri, would tell Bloomberg that the first Covid-19 vaccine could be approved in 2020, within a matter of days once a petition for approval was submitted.

Also on Tuesday, Chris Witty, England's chief medical officer, told the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee that he was "cautiously optimistic" that there would be a vaccine before the end of 2020.

However, the probability of it being "actually highly effective is in my view very low," he added.

Professor Sir Paul Nurse, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize, urged the same committee to use the summer month to put in place the necessary testing, treatments and a vaccine, and to assume that a second wave would occur.

"If we have any sense of complacency of this is behind us then we will undoubtedly have a second wave and we could easily be in the same situation again," he added.

Whitty's deputy, Jonathan Van-Tam, was also "cautiously optimistic" that a vaccine would be available "this side of Christmas".

As of 1544 BST, shares of AstraZeneca were slipping 1.64% to 9,167.0p while the company's American Depositary Receipts were up 0.02% to $58.69.