Coronavirus vaccine won't be available before mid 2021: German minister

As countries race to develop a cure for coronavirus, German research minister has said that a vaccine was unlikely to be available before mid-2021 warning that people should not expect a miracle. Germany, which successfully curbed the infection spread witness a spike in recent weeks. At least 1000 people were recently quarantined after workers art an abattoir tested positive. 

Grants to speed up vaccine development 

Anja Karliczek, speaking at a press conference in Berlin, said that the Merkel led government had previously provided grants to German biotech and research companies Cure Vac, BioNTech and IDT biologika to aid the development of COIVD-19 vaccine. However, she warned citizens to not expect a miracle adding that a vaccine would be available not before next year. In her address, she also urged Germans to observe all rules and guidelines designed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

"We must continue to assume that vaccines for the broader population will only be available from the middle of next year at the earliest," she added.

In contrast, US President Donald Trump has said his country may provide a vaccine for novel coronavirus to other countries when it is ready. The American leader has previously expressed the possibility of a vaccine before the end of 2020. Speaking at a press briefing on July 28, Trump said that when they have a vaccine, it will be discharged and taken care of.

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Speaking about disseminating it to other countries, he said “it will be a rapid process all over the country. Speaking further he said, "perhaps we’ll be supplying a lot of vaccines to other parts of the world as we do with ventilators and other things that we all of a sudden have become good at making”. The US which has reported 152,320 deaths so far due to the coronavirus has said that vaccine might be available by the end of 2020 or 2021.

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