Vaccine possible by Election Day, FDA chief says.
A vaccine against the coronavirus is on the near horizon, government officials are saying.
Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted there will be a vaccine developed by the end of the year, but he said he won’t be comfortable if the treatments aren’t proven safe through clinical trials. If allowed to go through on an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, there must be information showing the vaccines are safe, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said a vaccine for the coronavirus could be made available by the first week in November, even if it has not completed the final trial phase. “I can tell you our decision at FDA will not be made on any other criteria than the science and data associated with these clinical trials,” he said.
Both men agree that everyone wants to get to a vaccine as quickly as possible; but they also believe it has to be done safely and be data-driven.
There are four vaccine candidates headed into clinical trials by mid-September. Health and Human Services deputy chief of staff and liaison with Operation Warp Speed, Paul Mango said last week, “We feel we are absolutely on track – if not a little bit ahead – in terms of our overall objective, which is tens of millions of (doses of) safe and effective vaccines approved for calendar year-end.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the various companies and research groups working on a vaccine against the coronavirus.
- For the thousands of people who have volunteered to be part of the clinical trials of the various vaccine models.
- For the rapid release of the vaccine as soon as it is deemed to be safe and effective.
Sources: Newsmax, CNN, USA Today
