Doctors in England on alert for possible Covid-19 vaccine before Christmas

Doctors in England have been placed on alert for the potential roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine this side of Christmas.

In remarks made during a hearing of Parliament's science committee, Andrew Pollard, the Chief Trial Investigator, voiced optimism that trial results might be available before the end of 2020, Bloomberg reported.

"We're getting closer, but we’re not there yet," he said.

And although the timelines were not clear, there was a "small chance" that a vaccine might be distributed before 25 December.

Echoing that assessment, also on Wednesday, NHS head, Simon Stevens, told the BBC that of the more than 200 potential vaccines under development, one would "hopefully" be ready to deploy in the front half of 2020, but doctors would "gear up" in case it was available sooner.

Nonetheless, writing in medical journal The Lancet just the week before, Kate Bingham, the chairwoman of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, cautioned against over expectations.

"The first generation of vaccines is likely to be imperfect, and we should be prepared that they might not prevent infection but rather reduce symptoms, and, even then, might not work for everyone or for long."