As countries across the globe race to find an effective COVID-19 vaccine, Germany's vaccines regulator has said that some residents of the country will begin receiving vaccines from early next year.
Dozens of vaccines are currently under review, with pharmaceutical companies carrying out advanced clinical trials, as thousands of individuals are used as subjects to test the efficacy of these vaccines.
Speaking on the use of vaccines on a group of Germans starting from early 2021, head of the vaccine regulating body in Germany Paul Ehrlich Institut, Klaus Cichutek, said that data drawn from both Phases I and II trials have shown that some vaccines have stimulated a response in the immune system against the virus.
He also added that if the Phase III trials of the vaccines prove to be safe and effective, they could be approved for use at the beginning of 2021.
Cichutek said, "If data from Phase III trials show the vaccines are effective and safe, the first vaccines could be approved at the beginning of the year, possibly with conditions attached,’’ he said.
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"Based on assurances from manufacturers, the first doses for people in Germany will be available at that time, in accordance with the priorities set by the Standing Committee on Vaccination."
Over 22 million people have been infected by the virus globally, with almost 800,000 people dead from coronavirus.
Other big pharmaceutical names like Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, say that they hope to develop over a billion doses of the vaccine next year.
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