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Amid much speculation, the University of Oxford began human testing of a possible coronavirus vaccine on Thursday.
If the trial is successful, the vaccine will be available to the public later this year.
According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, of the more than 100 research projects worldwide to find a vaccine, seven are currently in clinical trials, according to reports.
Such trials are already underway in China and the United States and will begin later this month in Germany, where the federal vaccine authority gave the green light on Wednesday.
Also read: Oxford University to start human trials of COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday
The British government has strongly supported the work of the University of Oxford.
In its first phase, half of 1,112 volunteers will receive the potential COVID-19 vaccine, the other half a control vaccine to assess its safety and efficacy.
The volunteers are between 18 and 55 years old, in good health, have not tested positive for COVID-19 and are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vaccines work by exploiting the memory of the immune system.
UNICEF warned that conflict, complacency and the growing anti-vaccine movement threatens to undo decades of work to tame measles disease.
Ten participants will receive two doses of the experimental vaccine, four weeks apart.
Experts are optimistic about the 80 percent success rate and plan to produce a million doses by September, with the goal of making it widely available by fall if it succeeds.
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