Drugs giant AstraZeneca on Thursday said a Covid-19 vaccine could still be available by as early as the end of this year, despite a randomised clinical trial in the UK being paused.

A general view is pictured of the offices of British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC in Macclesfield, Cheshire on July 21, 2020. (File photo: AFP)

"We could still have a vaccine by the end of this year, early next year," the company's chief executive Pascal Soriot said, adding it depended on how fast regulators moved.