Geneva, October 6: A vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) may be ready by the end of 2020, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remark while addressing the end of a two-day meeting of its Executive Board on the pandemic. He, however, did not elaborate. The WHO-led COVAX facility is testing nine anti-coronavirus vaccines. COVID-19 Shock to Global Economy 'Not as Bad as First Feared', But Crisis Far From Over: IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva.

"We will need vaccines and there is hope that by the end of this year we may have a vaccine. There is hope," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted by Reuters as saying. Earlier today, the WHO that one in 10 people around the world may have contracted the deadly virus. The estimate meant "the vast majority of the world remains at risk", BBC reported quoting a top official. The WHO's estimate puts the actual number of infected people at closer to 800 million. COVID-19 Airborne, Admits CDC in Updated Guidelines; US Health Body Says Coronavirus Can be Transmitted Through The Air Indoors.

According to John Hopkins University, the overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 35.3 million, while the deaths have increased to more than 1,042,600. As of Tuesday, the total number of cases stood at 35,396,981 and the fatalities rose to 1,042,679. The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 7,455,184 and 210,155, respectively.

India comes in second place in terms of cases at 6,623,816, while the country's death toll soared to 102,685. Brazil currently accounts for the second-highest number of fatalities at 146,352.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 06, 2020 08:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).