Data released Monday show an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford university was safe and produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials, keeping alive the hope it could be in use by the end of the year.
The vaccine has been described by the World Health Organization's chief scientist as the leading candidate in a global race to halt a pandemic that has claimed more than 600,000 lives.
More than 150 possible vaccines are in various stages of development with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and China's CanSino Biologics also reporting positive responses for their candidates on Monday.
The vaccine from AstraZeneca and Britain's University of Oxford did not prompt any serious side effects and elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government has helped to fund the project, hailed the results as very positive news.
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