The first coronavirus vaccines have rolled off a production line, raising hopes that a global fightback against the pandemic could soon be under way.
US pharma giant Pfizer’s factory in Puurs, Belgium, has made hundreds of thousands of doses ready for use if clinical trials prove successful.
It means the firm has nosed ahead of rival developers in the race for a jab. But Government chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned it is “unlikely” a vaccine will be available for widespread use until next spring.
Giving evidence to the joint Commons and Lords National Security Strategy Committee, he added that even then, it will not stop Covid-19 completely.