UK scientists say human trials on vaccine by summer

British scientists have said they will be ready by the summer to conduct human clinical trials on vaccination for the virus which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, but that it wouldn't be ready to use against the infection until late 2020, early 2021.

The novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, blamed for the outbreak in Wuhan has so far caused over 600 deaths, most of them in China.

At a news conference on Friday, they said the vaccination had just started being tested on animals.

Speaking afterwards Professor Robin Shattock, Professor of Mucosal Infection and Immunity, Imperial College London,  said they were trying to have it ready if coronavirus becomes a cyclical rather than a one-off event.