Scientists working on the Oxford vaccine hope regulators approve it before the beginning of 2021, the newspaper said.

A full COVID-19 immunization programme, which would exclude children, could be quicker than experts predicted, the Times said, adding that health officials estimate that every adult could receive a dose of the vaccine within six months, Reuters reported.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday it has started reviewing data on AstraZeneca and Oxford University's potential COVID-19 vaccine, in real time, the first of such moves aimed at speeding up any approval process in the region for a vaccine.

The news of the European review also raises chances of the British vaccine, which is seen as leading the race for a successful vaccine against COVID-19, becoming the first to be approved in Europe for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus which has killed more than a million people globally.

The Times report added that plans under consideration by government include allowing a much wider group of healthcare staff to administer the vaccine, setting up of drive-through vaccination centres and recruiting help of armed forces.