Fauci optimistic about the prospects for the US vaccine, not worried that China will win the race

(Reuters) – The leading US infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted Wednesday that the country will reach its goal of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year and was not moved by the possibility that China would come first.

While there are no guarantees, “I feel good about the projected schedule,” Fauci told Reuters in an interview.

His comments follow promising data from the initial stage of Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) the coronavirus vaccine, launched Tuesday, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, led by Fauci.

Many experts see a safe and effective vaccine as the only way out of the pandemic that has infected millions and killed more than 575,000 people worldwide.

Fauci said Moderna’s results were especially promising because the vaccine seemed to offer the kind of protection seen in a natural infection.

In vaccine development, “one of the things you hope for is that your vaccine will induce a comparable response to a natural infection, because theoretically the best vaccine you could receive is a natural infection.”

The Moderna candidate, who will enter the final testing phase on July 27, is just one of more than a hundred vaccines in development worldwide, but only one of the few contenders who have won millions of dollars in support of Operation Warp Speed, the White House program that aims to deliver more than 300 million doses of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by January.

Fauci, who has become a popular and trustworthy figure during the coronavirus outbreak, was criticized by President Donald Trump and some of his Republican allies, as Fauci warned of the reopening of the U.S. economy too soon.

When asked how he handles attacks on his character and his loyalty to the president, Fauci told Reuters: “I don’t let that bother me.” What we are doing with vaccines, what we are doing with therapeutics, what we are doing with clinical trials is the real substance, “said Fauci.

VACCINE CAREER

As US states began to reopen businesses and coronavirus infections spiked, some White House officials pointed fingers at China, where the virus first emerged late last year.

Fauci was unmoved by the prospect that China might cross the finish line first. Although he said he hopes China will succeed, he doesn’t think they will win the vaccine race, at least not by much.

“I think everyone is on the same track.” If they get there, he said, “They’re not going to get it particularly before we get it. That is sure.”

Ultimately, he expects multiple successful candidates to prevail. “I’m not concerned that no one gets there first.”

Even if a vaccine manages to elicit an immune response, Fauci said it is not yet clear how long that protection will last.

“These are questions that have no answers at the moment, because we are only six months away from the outbreak.” He said it may be a year before that immunity question is answered.

A recent Reuters poll found that a quarter of Americans doubt the vaccine, and expressed concern that the record pace of development could compromise safety. Fauci said he is aware of such concerns.

“It is understandable, but unjustified,” he said. “We are not compromising security; we are not compromising scientific integrity. ”

Fauci said the normal development process of waiting for a vaccine to be proven effective before manufacturing begins wastes precious time.

“If the vaccine doesn’t work, all he has lost is money.”