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Vaccines in Progress

IN THE LAB A researcher works on a COVID-19 vaccine in Copenhagen, Denmark. THIBAULT SAVARY—AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Scientists all over the world are working to develop a vaccine. The vaccine’s purpose is to protect people from COVID-19. There are 70 vaccines in development globally. This was announced by the World Health Organization on April 11. Researchers in China are making progress. They have already tested their vaccine on people. So have some drugmakers in the United States.

“The good thing is we’ve got a bunch of candidates,” or possibilities, for vaccines, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a podcast. Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

But people will have to wait a while. Even if the early stages of testing are successful, it can take more than a year before a vaccine is widely available.