United States President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) expressed confidence that a vaccine for coronavirus could be available by the end of the year.
"I think we'll have a vaccine by the end of the year," Trump said at a Fox News virtual town hall.
"We'll have a vaccine much sooner rather than later."
The number of coronavirus cases in the US has risen to 11,57,687 while the death toll stands at 67,674, according to latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
At the same time, the global tally of coronavirus cases has surpassed 3.5 million while the fatalities related to the deadly virus have climbed up to 247,306.
The search for a vaccine for coronavirus infection has already intensified around the globe.
The European Union has pledged to set up an international medical program to lead the global response to fighting coronavirus with an initial pledge of raising $8 billion to find a vaccine and treatment for the pandemic.
In Britain, clinical trials have begun of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University's Jenner Institute.
Meanwhile, other developers across Europe have also stepped up their works on their own experimental shots against the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Within the United States, at least 115 vaccine projects are going on in laboratories at companies and research labs, according to a Washington Post report.
As per a report in Sputnik, at the end of April, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that a vaccine against the coronavirus, when developed, should be universal and available for every individual across the world.