Dr. Anthony Fauci is prescribing uncertainty.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force point man claims that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available even before its effectiveness is confirmed.
“By the beginning of 2021, we hope to have a couple hundred million doses,” said the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director on Tuesday, adding that he’s hopeful about 100 million doses will be ready by December, at the latest.
In March, the U.S. commenced the first human trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine, which is being conducted in Washington State. The next step is slated for early July, Fauci told Newsweek. He referred to the early date as an “aspirational goal.”
“We would start manufacturing vaccines before we know that it even works or not, which means that you’ve picked up several months, instead of waiting to see if the vaccine works,” the 79-year-old doctor said last week.
The third trial phase will involve 30,000 subjects under a wide range of ages and underlying conditions, Fauci told the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“I would not be surprised if we have more than one season of (coronavirus), with the likelihood that the second season will be much milder than the first,” Fauci told Newsweek. “Particularly if we have a vaccine.”
