First Covid-19 vaccine doses in Spain by end of 2020 'if all goes well,' says minister
Salvador Illa says EU relying on Oxford vaccine, but still waiting for "last stages of verification"
The first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine could be administrated in Spain "at the end of December" this year, according to the Spanish health minister, Salvador Illa.
In an interview with 'La Sexta' TV station on Wednesday, he said that "if all goes well," by the end of 2020 the vaccine should already be in Spain.
Illa explained that purchasing of doses will be centralized in the EU, which "guarantees fair access across Europe, without a race between countries."
The EU has already reached an agreement with the University of Oxford to buy the vaccine that they are currently developing, but as Illa explained, Brussels is still waiting to see whether "the last stages of verification are successful."
He also added that "there are negotiations underway with other companies," which will be presented in the coming days.
In any case, none of the potential vaccines will involve anything "that is not validated by medicines agencies." Indeed, Illa said that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will have the final say on the Oxford vaccine before it is put into use.