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Voice of America: WHO aiming for 2 billion doses of COVID vaccine by end of 2021

Published June 19, 2020 at 6:35 am

Chief Scientific Officer Dr Jeff Drew, manipulates samples of cells containing the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as he uses a microscope in the Stabilitech laboratory in Burgess Hill south east England, on May 15, 2020 where scientists are trying to develop an oral vaccine for the COVID-19 illness.

Photo by AFP

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist said Thursday the agency hopes there will be about two billion doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 by the end of next year that would be reserved for “priority populations.” Speaking at a virtual news conference in Geneva, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan told reporters, “It’s a big ‘if’ because we don’t have any vaccine that’s proven.”