Cambridge vaccine expert "optimistic" about chances of a working vaccine
Watch an interview with Professor Gordon Dougan, Vaccine Expert from Cambridge University
News of a Covid 19 vaccine which has proven 90% effective in immunising against the virus, is being welcomed by vaccine experts at Cambridge University.
Professor Gordon Dougan, an expert in vaccinology at the University of Cambridge, said that while the vaccine must be put through safety checks before it's rolled out, it's encouraging news.
"I was always optimistic that we'd get to a good vaccine, I was very cautious but was optimistic we'd get to a vaccine that works very well, it looks like we've got a vaccine that works well, we then need to make sure it's safe, and then we need to explain to the people who take the vaccine if there are any risks associated with it."
Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, described it as "a great day for science and humanity".
He continued: "We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis.
"We look forward to sharing additional efficacy and safety data generated from thousands of participants in the coming weeks."
Professor Dougan added that there may be some issues around storage of the Pfizer vaccine, because it needs to be kept cold.
"There are some issues around storage of the vaccine, the Oxford vaccine is a much more well founded platform and therefore might be easier to distribute."
According to Boris Johnson's spokesperson, the UK has procured 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine - with 10 million of those being manufactured and available to the UK by the end of the the year.
The Prime Minister and other academics have urged caution, as any vaccine still has to go through a regulatory phase to prove it's safe.
Professor Dougan also added a word of caution, saying that if the vaccine is proved safe, it will be rolled out in small parts of the population first, before mass vaccination becomes a possibility.
"I anticipate that we'd get the vaccine out to those who are most at risk, for example doctors and nurses who are working in ICUs in the hospitals, and those who are vulnerable, for instance people with diabetes."