US expert talks about the timeframe for a coronavirus vaccine
Russia, China and other countries cannot get ahead of the United States in developing a coronavirus vaccine, US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.
"We're moving so fast. I don't think there's going to be a vaccine any sooner than we do, to the point where we're going to have to rely on other countries to get the vaccine," Fauci said at a hearing before the US Congress.
“I hope that China and Russia actually test the vaccine before they give it to anybody, because I think the claims of a vaccine being ready to be distributed without testing are problematic,” Fauci said, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic about the possibility of having a vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021.”
As Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova said earlier, the two most promising coronavirus vaccines in Russia are currently developed by the Gamaleya Center and Vector. The first is planned for registration in August, production in September, and the second - in September and October.
Several private companies in the US are currently developing coronavirus vaccines, one of which is already in phase three trials. Mr Fauci said at the hearing that 30,000 people are participating in clinical trials. Another 250,000 people have signed up to test the latest vaccine.
