- Dr. Anthony Fauci remains cautiously optimistic that the United States will know if there is an effective, safe vaccine around the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
- Multiple vaccine candidates are now being evaluated in Phase III studies to ensure they are safe and effective.
- Fauci also faced major challenges in the fight against COVID-19, pointing out that contact tracing in the United States is not yet where it should be.
In a live town hall on Tuesday hosted by Healthline
Joazing at Fauci was Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a critical care pulmonologist and internal medicine physician at the University of Southern California, and Dr. Timothy Legg, a clinical psychologist based in Binghamton, New York.
The interview, which was moderated by Healthline’s medical director, Dr. Elaine Hanh Le, digs into how COVID-19 affects mental health, childcare and schools, and frontline workers.
The experts also examined the most effective treatments used against the new coronavirus along with what to expect regarding future treatments and a vaccine.
Here are the main takeaways.
Fauci remains cautiously optimistic that the United States will know if there is an effective, safe vaccine around the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
By the end of 2021, Fauci expects that we will have enough doses for anyone who wants one, if a vaccine is approved.
The reason why, Fauci said, is because of the promising results we have seen in the preliminary research that has been conducted on multiple vaccine candidates.
Studies have shown that some of the vaccines can induce neutralizing antibodies in people who are as protective as potentially better than convalescent plasma, which is present in people who have recovered from COVID-19, according to Fauci.
“That’s no guarantee, but it’s a good predictor that things will go well,” Fauci said.
Multiple vaccine candidates are now being evaluated in Phase III studies to ensure they are safe and effective.
The federal government has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars to begin the manufacturing process, so if and when a fax is proven, it can be distributed quickly.
When asked about Russia’s approval of a vaccine, Fauci said it’s essential to understand the difference between having a vaccine versus proving a vaccine works.
The Russian vaccine was approved before a critical phase III trial was carried out, which means it is unclear if it is safe or if it works itself.
Fauci said it takes time to adequately test the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine.
‘We have to be careful if you hear from Russia or China or anywhere that they have a fax machine that they know works. “They can have a product that they are willing to take the risk of giving it to people without necessarily showing that it is as effective as it is safe,” said Fauci.
To achieve herd immunity, a large majority of people will need to get the vaccine in the United States.
But there are growing concerns that a substantial portion of the U.S. population, particularly those within the anti-vaccine movement, may refuse to be vaccinated if a shot becomes available.
Fauci does not think the government will ever mandate a vaccine for the general public.
“If someone rejects the vaccine in public, there is nothing they can do about it,” Fauci said, noting that you can not force a person to vaccinate.
In the medical setting, however, hospitals may require health insurers to vaccinate before seeing patients.
Fauci said we have two solid treatment options for people with advanced COVID-19: inhibitor and the corticosteroid dexamethasone.
What we now need are proven treatments for people with newly contracted infections, Fauci said. There are currently many treatment options being tested: direct antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, recovery time plasma, hyperimmune globulin.
In studies, remdesivir has been shown to reduce the time it takes people who are in hospital with hospitals to recover and leave the hospital.
Dexamethasone has also been shown to reduce mortality in people who are on ventilators as an oxygen support.
When schools start rebuilding, teachers, school officials and parents adjust to whether it is safe to show students and staff in person.
With COVID-19 hot spots in different areas of the United States, Fauci said there is no one-size-fits-all plan for all school openings because levels of infection vary drastically in different areas.
“To make a statement on the one hand, on the other hand, to take the country as a whole will not work – we are so heterogeneous when it comes to levels of infection,” Fauci said.
Schools located in green zones, such as areas with very low levels of infection, are likely to reopen safely, according to Fauci.
In yellow zones, where the infection rate is slightly higher, it is crucial for schools to put in place a plan to reduce infection. This may include wearing outdoor classes, wearing a mask, exercising physical distance, and changing classes.
In a red zone, where the spread of the community is uneasy and the positive test rate is more than 10 percent, schools need to re-evaluate their plans and reconsider holding each class in person.
“You better think twice before you do that, because what can happen is what you’ve seen: You go in, people get infected, boom they close them,” he said, referring to schools that soon after. close the opening. ‘It’s better to be comfortable, maybe with virtual [learning], until you see what happens when you’re in a really hot zone. ”
Schools will need to remain flexible. School benefits children developmentally, so it is important to weigh the benefits of development and mental health with the physical health risks.
Although we are doing much better than before, there are still some obstacles with our efforts to track contact, Fauci said.
Primarily, how long does it take people to receive COVID-19 test results, which average 5 to 7 days.
“It almost eliminates the purpose of tracking contacts because that means someone was there for 5 to 7 days that could potentially spread the infection,” Fauci said, adding that officials are currently correcting the delays in testing.
Asymptomatic transmission, which is thought to make up to 40 percent of cases, complicates the process as well. It is harder to identify asymptomatic carriers and get a rash from an outbreak.
Fauci wants to see the percentage positivity of the tests performed fall into areas with high infection rates.
In New York City, for example, the percentage positivity is less than 1 percent. “That’s what you want the whole country to be,” Fauci said.
The United States is not alone in the fight against COVID-19.
Each week, Fauci and his colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) participate in a weekly call hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in which health authorities and scientists from almost every country in the world discuss information and teachings of the new coronavirus.
American scientists also work closely with colleagues in places such as Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Europe.
U.S. researchers have also collaborated with locations such as South Africa, Brazil, Chile, and Peru to host clinical trials.
“You don’t hear that much in the low press, but it happens really quite intensely,” Fauci said.
In a live town hall hosted by Healthline on Tuesday, Dr. discussed. Anthony Fauci the current state of the pandemic and what to expect in the coming months.
In addition to other experts, Fauci examined the barriers to contact tracing, how and where schools can safely reopen, the collaborations taking place with other countries, and the promise of current and future treatments and vaccines.
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