Further funding in fight against spread of coronavirus

The Prime Minister has announced that the race to find a vaccine for coronavirus will be bolstered by financial support from the UK’s international development budget.

Eight possible coronavirus vaccines are currently under development and efforts are being made to get any viable vaccines from sequencing of the virus to clinical testing in under a year. The latest additional support will bring the UK’s investment into COVID-19 vaccine research to £65 million.

Boris Johnson announced the funding while visiting the Mologic lab in Bedfordshire, which is using UK aid funding to develop rapid diagnostic test devices for coronavirus to allow medical professionals or potentially even individuals at home to identify the disease quickly without relying on specialist facilities. This will mean patients can be treated more quickly, reducing the risk of them passing the virus onto others and helping them to recover quickly.

The announcement follows the plan set out by the Prime Minister to tackle coronavirus in the UK. This plan has four strands - containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread.

Johnson said: “Keeping the British people safe is my number one priority, and that’s why I’ve set out our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronavirus. We are ensuring the country is prepared for the current outbreak, guided by the science at every stage. But we also need to invest now in researching the vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks. I’m very proud that UK experts – backed by government funding – are on the front line of global efforts to do just that.”