World Health Organization (WHO) official Marijan Ivanusa told N1 TV in Belgrade on Tuesday that the first quantities of a coronavirus vaccine could be available on the market by the end of the year but warned that there might not be enough for everyone.

“We have high hopes in the new vaccine and I hope the first quantities can be available on the market by the end of the year. However, that does not mean that there will be sufficient quantities for everyone,” the head of the WHO office in Serbia said.  

He said that a lot of effort is being invested in developing a vaccine. “Work is underway on 160 types of vaccine with some 20 in clinical trials… We expect wide-spread vaccination in the middle of next year,” Ivanusa said.  

He said the distribution of the vaccine is an important issue which the WHO is working on with its partners to make sure that every country gets the amount of vaccine it needs since there are countries which have enough money to buy all quantities of the vaccine in the near future.

Ivanusa said that nurses, doctors, medical staff and other related professions will be the first to be vaccinated.