VACCINE BOOST: 2 FRONT RUNNERS A STEP CLOSER

LONDON/WASHINGTON: Positive news on initial trials of the University of Oxford’s potential Covid-19 vaccine could be announced as early as Thursday, according to a report, even as biotech firm Moderna on Wednesday sparked optimism by saying initial tests for its vaccine were a success — the developments came on a day US President Donald Trump tweeted: “Great News on Vaccines!”

The US President did not elaborate on what he referred to as “great news”. UK drug giant Astrazeneca recently secured a $1.2 billion contribution from the US for the development, production and delivery of its shot starting this fall.