A World Health Organization spokeswoman said on Friday it does not expect widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, stressing the importance of rigorous checks on their effectiveness and safety.

"We are not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year," spokeswoman Margaret Harris told journalists at a briefing in Geneva

"This phase 3 must take longer because we need to see how truly protective the vaccine is and we also need to see how safe it is," she added referring to vaccine clinical trials.