Researchers at the University of Oxford say that the world cannot afford to wait for vaccines to go through trials before production begins.
British scientists have said they hope to have a million doses of a coronavirus vaccine ready to be implemented in September.
The Oxford University team will start the first UK study of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine next week.
But the need is so great and their confidence is so high that it will work that they will start large-scale production even before testing is complete.
Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, said the world could not wait for vaccines to be shown to be safe and effective in trials that would involve months of delay before production begins.
The Oxford team says there is an 80% chance of success. If the tests are positive, hundreds of millions of doses could be ready by the end of the year.
He told Sky News: “While those trials are going on we have to start manufacturing, manufacturing at risk because if the vaccine fails nobody will want the doses.”
“But the hope is to have about a million doses by September ready for deployment. It’s a big ask, but not impossible.”
The Oxford team say there is an 80% chance of success. If trials are positive hundreds of millions of doses could be ready by the end of the year.
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