The prime minister has today announced a £46 million fund to research a potential vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus that is currently sweeping the globe.
In a statement, the prime minister said: "Keeping the British people safe is my number one priority, and that's why I've set out our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronavirus.
"We are ensuring the country is prepared for the current outbreak, guided by the science at every stage. But we also need to invest now in researching the vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks.
"I'm very proud that UK experts - backed by government funding - are on the front line of global efforts to do just that."
He later built on this in a conversation with reporters:
“What we are announcing today is a £46 million package of investment in UK science which will in time deliver a vaccine, some say in about a year, but also help us to have rapid test kits that anyone can use quickly and effectively to tell whether they have coronavirus."
The statement came as the prime minister visited Mologic lab, where the scientists are currently trying to develop home testing kits.
With The Daily Telegraph’s cameras following his every move, the prime minister gave an in-depth demonstration of how to best wash your hands.
He decided to sing two renditions of ‘Happy Birthday to Mologic’, to demonstrate how long we should now be spending on this crucial area of disease-prevention.
As this article goes live, at just after 3pm, the number of cases in the UK has jumped to 163.
