A vaccine to combat COVID-19 could be available by the end of the year, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday.
While stopping short of giving details on the vaccine’s progress, he called on global leaders to guarantee that a potential immunization will be appropriately and equally distributed once it is ready.
“We will need vaccines, and there is hope that by the end of this year we may have a vaccine. There is hope,” Mr. Tedros said during a WHO executive board meeting, Reuters reported.
Countries around the world, including the U.S., are racing to develop a widely accessible coronavirus vaccine, but it remains unclear when one will be ready for distribution.
Over 35 million people around the world have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 1 million have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The global population stands at 7.8 billion.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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