Test subjects could be exposed to the new coronavirus in controlled settings from January in a bid to speed up vaccine development, UK officials have confirmed.
The UK government is backing so-called human challenge studies, whereby a small number of participants who have received a vaccine will be purposefully exposed to Covid-19 to assess the vaccine's efficacy.
It is hoped these studies will help speed up vaccine development. In the trials, a small number of young and healthy participants - aged 18 to 30 - will be given a vaccine candidate, which has previously been assessed in earlier clinical trials.
This group of up to 90 participants will then be exposed to the virus in a controlled environment. They will be carefully monitored to