Coronavirus: Oxford University has raised hopes of an early vaccine and their confidence is reassuring

Thankfully, there is one very powerful beam of light amid the darkness, and that’s being shone by Oxford University. Researchers at Oxford University expect to inject the first patient in a major clinical trial of the vaccine in a week or so, and to prove that it is safe and effective by late August or September (Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty) With the eyes of the world upon them – and so much hinging on it – for a group of scientists (a species notorious among journalists for their caution) to express such confidence is highly reassuring. Best to concentrate on today and the idea that everything will be better in the long term, and leave out the bit in the middle, psychologists say.