The World Health Organisation believes a coronavirus vaccine is at least 12 months away from being ready.
Spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said today: "We really shouldn't be expecting to see the vaccine for 12 months or longer."
It comes as the pandemic continues to claim lives across the globe, with millions of people on lockdown in a bid to prevent its spread.
Dr Harris also warned that we are "certainly not seeing the peak" of the virus yet.
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The director general of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Monday said: “Ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission.”
The organisation also shared a declaration from a group of specialists working towards a vaccine for Covid-19 on Monday.
"While a vaccine for general use takes time to develop, a vaccine may ultimately be instrumental in controlling this worldwide pandemic," it read.
"In the interim, we applaud the implementation of community intervention measures that reduce spread of the virus and protect people, including vulnerable populations, and pledge to use the time gained by the widespread adoption of such measures to develop a vaccine as rapidly as possible.
"We will continue efforts to strengthen the unprecedented worldwide collaboration, cooperation and sharing of data already underway.
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"We believe these efforts will help reduce inefficiencies and duplication of effort, and we will work tenaciously to increase the likelihood that one or more safe and effective vaccines will soon be made available to all."
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Worldwide the number of coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak is close to reaching two million.