UK health secretary Matt Hancock has said the government is "throwing everything" at developing a coronavirus vaccine.
Speaking at the daily briefing, he claimed the country was investing more than any other country in vaccine development, saying it was the best way to defeat the virus.
He also confirmed human trials led by the University of Oxford for a possible vaccine were set to begin Thursday.
Hancock praised the “rapid progress” being made into vaccines by scientists at Oxford and Imperial College London.
“We have put more money than any other country into a global search for a vaccine and, for all the efforts around the world, two of the leading vaccine developments are taking place here at home – at Oxford and Imperial,” he said.
“Both of these promising projects are making rapid progress and I’ve told the scientists leading them we will do everything in our power to support.”
The government will give £22.5 million to Imperial, while Oxford will beget £20 million to fund its clinical trials.
Hancock said the process of finding a vaccine would involve “trial and error” but he has told UK scientists he would “back them to the hilt and give them every resource they need” to succeed.
“After all, the upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it,” he said.
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