The UK government has announced that they have signed a deal for 90 million doses of "promising" COVID-19 vaccines.
Currently under development, these new vaccines are being researched by an alliance between the pharmaceutical companies BioNtech and Pfizer, as well as the firm Valneva. Although there is still uncertainty over the experimental vaccines, this new deal has been added on top of the 100 million doses that Oxford University are developing with AstraZeneca.
A vaccine is believed to be the best chance of getting lives back to normal and research has been taking place globally, at an unprecedented scale. 20 vaccines have been fast-tracked into testing since the outbreak, with some being able to provoke an immune response, however none have proven to fight against infection.
Testing as many different styles of vaccine as possible improves the chance that a cure will be found quicker, and Kate Bingham, the chair of the government's Vaccine Taskforce, said there are "so many" promising candidates. Bingham also stated that the research is moving at an "unprecedented pace" but continues to urge against being complacent or overly optimistic.
"The fact remains we may never get a vaccine and if we do get one, we have to be prepared that it may not be a vaccine which prevents getting the virus, but rather one that reduces symptoms," she continued.
