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The UK government has secured early access to millions of doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines that are being prepared by medical researchers.

Vaccines to protect people from the coronavirus are being developed both in the UK and around the world.

The government has already agreed a deal for 100 million doses of another potential vaccine being developed by scientists in Oxford.

The latest results from the Oxford trial are that the vaccine appears safe and triggers an immune response.

Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells, the body's natural way of fighting disease, that can fight coronavirus.

The findings are hugely promising, but there are some side-effects and it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection, so larger trials are under way.

Prof Sarah Gilbert, from the University of Oxford, UK, says: "There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise."

Making a vaccine, and having it ready to give to people, takes a long time and though none are ready at the moment, the government has put in an early order to get them as soon as they are available.

What is a vaccine?

The NHS says, "vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases."

They explain that vaccines, "teach your immune system how to create antibodies that protect you from diseases.

"It's much safer for your immune system to learn this through vaccination than by catching the diseases and treating them," say the NHS.

"Once your immune system knows how to fight a disease, it can often protect you for many years."

What has the government ordered?

The order would be enough to vaccinate people in priority groups across the whole of the UK, such as frontline health and social care workers and those with a higher health risk.

Even when they are ready, some people won't be able to take vaccines because of other health issues, so the government has also ordered alternative treatments that could be used instead.

However, as the vaccines aren't ready yet and it's not clear how well they'll work .

A spokesperson for the government team organising vaccines warned: "We have to be prepared that it may not be a vaccine which prevents getting the virus, but rather one that reduces symptoms."

The government is also calling for thousands of volunteers to test them out when they're available to help scientists check how well they work and speed up the process of getting them ready for those who need it.