UK Researchers to begin human trials for Covid-19 vaccine

Researchers in the United Kingdom are all set to begin human testing on a vaccine developed for the Covid-19 virus.

The trials to be commenced on humans this week are for a potential vaccine for the virus that has gripped the whole world. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement that a group of researchers of Oxford University was behind the potential vaccine.

The country announced that will be providing more than £40m to two British projects to develop a vaccine for the virus. One of those projects, led by Imperial College London's Department of Infectious Diseases, is currently appealing for volunteers.

The top institutions in the country have been working on projects since January. The Oxford group, led by Professor Sarah Gilbert, set to work as soon as the genetic code, or blueprint, of Covid-19 became available in January, reported the BBC.

The vaccine uses a small section of this code packaged into a harmless virus. Scientists are hoping that delivering this into the body will teach the immune system how to fight off the real disease, without ever needing to become infected with Covid-19.

The plan is to test it on around 500 volunteers by mid-May and if that work proves successful, give it to thousands of more volunteers.