The German government has agreed to fund a programme that cost €750m to find a cure of the novel coronavirus, this will also include distribution of the vaccine to all people in Germany. Researchers hope large-scale trial swill help speed up the process towards a solution for the virus, this was announced by research minister Anja Karliczek.
Half a billion will be allocated towards extending the trial capacities in Germany, and the rest of the funds to developing production capacity. The announcement comes following a cabinet meeting led by Chancellor Angela Merkel. “As soon as a vaccine is found and approved, production must be able to start quickly on a large scale both here in Germany and worldwide,” Karliczek said. She called vaccine development the “key” to returning to normal life.
READ ALSO:Coronavirus: Vaccine might be size of a skin patch
The goal of the new funding program is to allow clinical trials to work with a larger number of participants from the start. Medical personnel or other essential workers could be included in the tests on a voluntary basis. Normally trials are conducted on a step-by-step basis with a small amount of participants at the beginning and are slowly expanded.
READ ALSO:Oxford scientists: Coronavirus vaccine could be widely available by end of year
READ ALSO:Coronavirus: First vaccine to be tested on 29 year old from Seattle.