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German minister: Vaccine could be ready by mid-2021

29 July 2020 12:52 (UTC +04:00)

Germany's Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek (pictured) said on Wednesday that a COVID-19 vaccine should become available to the general population by mid-2021 "at the earliest.", APA reports citing Reuters.

Although "scientists are working at an unprecedented speed," setbacks are always possible, so "a miracle" should not be expected, she pointed out. There should be a distinction between "a working drug" and "a safe drug that will meet the expectations of the population," Karliczek noted.

She mentioned that three German companies that are in advanced stages of vaccine development - BioNTech SE, CureVac and IDT Biologika Corporation. The first two are already carrying out clinical trials, while IDT Biologika is expected to begin conducting them next week, the minister added.