The Health Secretary says government-funded research at the University of Oxford had been accelerated due to the global pandemic.
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference on Tuesday, Hancock said: “I can announce that the vaccine from the Oxford project will be trialled in people from this Thursday.
“In normal times, reaching this stage would take years and I’m very proud of the work taken so far.
“At the same time, we will invest in manufacturing capability so that, if either of these vaccines safely work, we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanely possible.”
While the trials may start this week, it has previously been reported a vaccine will not be available before September.
