German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday, Aug. 13, that a COVID-19 vaccine is certainly expected in the next few months and will be “definitely” available by 2021.
The comments came after the public health agency released and then withdrew a report that suggested a possible release for a coronavirus vaccine in Germany by autumn.
“I’m optimistic that in the next months, and certainly in the next year, there can be a vaccine,” Spahn said during a media interview.
A report released by the Robert Koch Institute on Wednesday stated an expedited timeline for the COVID-19 vaccine release. However, the institute later withdrew the report citing an error in publication and that it is not up-to-date.
Spahn denied naming any month of release by which a coronavirus vaccine is expected and also said that he can't comment on the efficacy and the number of shots that people would need and how frequently they will need it for perfect immunity against the novel coronavirus disease.
“But one thing we can say is that thanks to us all working together - researchers, scientists, the public - we will probably have a vaccine faster than ever before in the history of humanity,” he concluded during his interview.
On Tuesday, Aug, 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval for world’s first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. Since the announcement, the medical community is dividing concerning the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in humans and data supporting both is missing and Russia has not yet completed the trials.
Spahn amplified the skepticism and said that there is a lack of data and Sputnik V has not been subjected to extensive testing in humans to prove safety.
German Research Minister Anja Karliczek believes that it is unlikely for a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine to be available for widespread use before the middle of 2021.
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