Biosecurity

Fauci Says It's 'Doable' To Have Millions Of Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine By January

There's a chance that hundreds of millions of doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine could be available by early next year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Thursday, even though the federal government has not approved a vaccine against the virus.

In an appearance on NBC's Today Show, Fauci was asked whether he thought it was "in the realm of possibility" to have a potential vaccine ready for wide distribution by January.

"I do," Fauci replied. "I mean, I'm obviously part of the team that's involved in that."

Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that the ideal plan for a potential vaccine is to ensure it is safe and effective — and can be rapidly scaled up for distribution.

Of course, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved a vaccine for the coronavirus. Noting that vaccine trials are still in the early phase, Fauci added that to accelerate production, the companies making the medicine would need to do so "at risk."