When is COVID-19 vaccine expected? Final results likely by this date

Even as drugmakers worldwide race against time, the final data on whether a vaccine can prevent people from getting infected will only come by the middle of September from AstraZeneca, according to the analytics company Airfinity which tracks drug trials. AstraZeneca had pledged nearly 30 million doses to the UK by the end of September.

Coronavirus vaccine by AstraZeneca has reached phase 3 clinical trials in the US. Furthermore, the vaccine is close to being finalised for approval, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. "I am pleased to announce that AstraZeneca's vaccine has reached Phase 3 clinical trials and has joined various vaccines that are very close to the end. In the United States, we are doing things that people thought were not possible," Trump told reporters.

Similarly, the other major contenders to reach phase 3 clinical trials including Moderna, Pfizer and also BioNTech may also come out with early data before a key Food and Drug Administration meeting on October 22. Sinovac Biotech is also expected to have preliminary results soon after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently told health departments across the US to draft vaccination plans by October 1 "to coincide with the earliest possible release of Covid-19 vaccine." But, the health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses.

Also read: AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine enters phase 3 trials in US

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Health officials say US not ready to conduct mass vaccinations