The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated a lab space to test a vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus found in Saudi Arabia alluring local markets and enticing officials to set aside their worries about scaling up production.
The Coronavirus Disease Group a group representing a dozen vaccine developers in the Middle East and Africa said it planned to begin administering to 18 countries by the end of June joining a recent announcement by China that it will expand the scope of its testing to reassure localise demand.
The first delivery of viable COVID-19 vaccine candidates is expected to come by June or July first with final tests involving tens of thousands of participants.
David Heymann who owns a labs pharmaceutical testing services business in Panama will resign on June 21 amid concerns the institute will be too reliant on volunteers from wealthy Saudi Arabia – its top external donor – that it hoped to capture during U. S. tourist season.
This is a risk we have to take seriously Heymann said in an interview.
If the Saudi government doesnt want to do this then I think well see further delays he added.