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WASHINGTON – There’s a chance the United States will have a COVID-19 vaccine by January.
“That’s an assumption that it’s got to be safe, that it’s going to be effective and that we’re going to be able to do it quickly,” said the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci. “I think each of those are not only feasible but maybe likely.”
While top infectious disease expert is optimistic, he admits that target date isn’t set in stone.
“I’ve been involved in vaccine work for decades, not every vaccine that we went after worked.”
Vaccine development is usually measured in years, not months, according to Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. William Schaffner.
“You know it’s like running the quarter-mile,” explained Dr. Schaffner. “You want to run faster but you have to run the whole quarter-mile.”
“You certainly don’t want to put an unsafe or ineffective vaccine out to the populace.”
The research continues as more than half of the United States start to partially reopen.
While the reopening process will likely help the struggling U.S. Economy start to rebound from the pandemic, some say doing so too soon may lead to problems.
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