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Your Weekly Covid-19 Vaccine Update
Everything that happened in the race to find a coronavirus vaccine this week
There are still 11 vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials and six approved for limited use — no change from last week. None have been approved for general use.
AstraZeneca says it could have vaccine trial results this year
On Thursday, vaccine frontrunner AstraZeneca announced that late-stage trials of the vaccine it’s developing with the University of Oxford are on track to produce results “later this year,” reported the Wall Street Journal. If it gains regulatory approval, the company could be ready to roll out the vaccine soon after. It says it has already scaled up manufacturing, though it hasn’t yet put the vaccine in vials because doing so reduces its shelf life. The vaccine, which is already under review, is the first to be appraised under the European Union’s fast-track review process, according to the company.
England’s national health service prepares for a vaccine before Christmas
While no vaccines have yet been approved for general use, England’s National Health Service is preparing for a best-case holiday scenario. On Thursday, NHS’s chief executive Simon…