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One of the top US government scientists says a coronavirus vaccine could be available in the US in December if it proves to be “safe and effective.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke about the development of vaccines during an interview with the BBC.
He said experts will know if a vaccine is “safe and effective” by late November or early December. However, if that’s the case, many Americans won’t be able to access a potential vaccine until 2021.
“The number of doses that will be available in December will certainly not be enough to vaccinate everyone. You will have to wait several months until 2021, ”Fauci told the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
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Alex Brandon / AP
Fauci speaks alongside the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
The lead scientist was asked questions about a possible vaccine in response to comments made by US President Donald Trump during the presidential debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden.
During the debate, Trump said a vaccine would be ready “by the end of the year,” although he said that was not a guarantee.
Speaking to the BBC, Fauci said he believed Trump “said that correctly.” The first limited doses would be prioritized and go to people like healthcare workers and people in risk categories, he said.
Cheryl Gerber / AP
The vials shown in the image show a single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in development.
“That could start late this year, early January, February and March next year.”
But vaccination of a substantial proportion of the US population likely won’t occur until the second or third of the year, he said.
Fauci also added that a possible vaccine would not replace the need for public health measures.
Fauci was speaking specifically about vaccination efforts in the US New Zealand has signed an agreement to secure a Covid-19 vaccine from COVAX facilities. It also signed its first purchase agreement, securing 1.5 million doses from Pfizer and BioNTech.
When asked if he believed Trump was right to say that the United States was “turning the corner” of the pandemic, Fauci said “no,” it was not.
Emilio Morenatti / AP
Hospitality workers take part in a protest in Barcelona, Spain.
He said there are still areas in the United States going “in the wrong direction” with new infection numbers.
“If you just look at the numbers, I mean you can have opinions about what’s going on, but the data speaks for itself.”
Fauci also told the BBC that he was “sorry to see” what was happening in the UK, that it seemed “it was starting to escalate in the same way that we are here.”
More than 8.6 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the US, as well as 225,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In Europe, the number of infections is increasing rapidly again. Spain has been forced to order a state of emergency and a nationwide curfew in hopes of curbing its infection rates.
Regional lockdown restrictions are also in place in some areas of England and Ireland, with parts of Italy reintroducing restrictions amid a second wave of infections.
