Business Secretary Alok Sharma has said the clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine at Oxford University progressing well.

Speaking at Sunday's Downing Street press conference, he said: "In order to definitively conquer this disease we need to find a safe, workable vaccine.

"Last month I announced a new vaccine task force to co-ordinate the efforts of Government, academia and industry in the critical mission to find a vaccine.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus vaccine production centre being built in Oxfordshire

"I'm very proud of how quickly our scientists and researchers have come together in their efforts developing a vaccine that will combat coronavirus."

He added: "The first clinical trial of the Oxford vaccine is progressing well with all phase one participants having received their vaccine dose on schedule earlier this week.

"The speed at which Oxford University has designed and organised these complex trials is genuinely unprecedented."

Mr Sharma said Imperial College London was also 'making good progress' and would look to move into clinical trials for a vaccine by mid-June, with larger scale trials in October.

ALSO READ: Daughter's fury after father's death at care home

He said so far the Government had invested £47 million in the Oxford and Imperial vaccine programmes, and announced a further £84m in new funding 'to help accelerate their work'.

He said: "This new money will help mass-produce the Oxford vaccine so that if current trials are successful we have dosages to start vaccinating the UK population straight away."

He said pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca had finalised a 'global licensing agreement' with Oxford University with Government support, adding: "This means that if the vaccine is successful AstraZeneca will work to make 30 million doses available by September for the UK as part of an agreement for over 100 million doses in total."

He said 'the UK will be first to get access' but that the Government would also ensure that 'we're able to make the vaccine available to developing countries at the lowest possible cost'.