   U.S.-based
pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson is expected
to begin late-stage human trials of its experimental
vaccine in September.
- A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo |
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 Published Friday, August 7, 2020 Covid-19
vaccine could be available
by early 2021 in the U.S. By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The top infectious disease expert in the United States, Anthony Fauci, Ph.D. said the world will never be able to eradicate the novel coronavirus that has infected 18.8 million people globally, but is hopeful that hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine could be available by the end of this year and into early 2021, reported Voice of America Journal on Thursday. “There will be, I think, enough vaccines if everything turns out to be successful,” Fauci told VOA. “To get vaccines not only to the countries that are the classical rich countries but those who are low and middle income that would not be able to readily have access to a vaccine. That's what we're hoping to do.“ Fauci’s interview with Greta Van Susteren was conducted Monday and released Thursday. The coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and elsewhere, impacting the world's economy and social fabric. Van Susteren examines the challenges posed by the pandemic with Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. In a separate interview with Reuters, Fauci said on Wednesday that the reason the virus will never go away is because of its “highly transmissible” nature. He added: with “the combination of a good vaccine and attention to public health measures ... then I think we can get behind this.” Fauci predicted the world will be able to get the virus under control after next year, and said he was “cautiously optimistic” an effective vaccine will be approved by then. "We are likely going to have maybe tens of millions of doses in the early part of (next) year,” Fauci said. “But as we get into 2021, the manufacturers tell us that they will have hundreds of millions and likely a billion doses by the end of 2021. So I think the process is moving along at a pretty favorable pace.” Fauci’s outlook about a new covid-19 vaccine coincided with an announcement by U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson that it reached a deal with the U.S. government to provide 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine in a deal totaling more than $1 billion. The company is expected to begin late-stage human trials of its experimental vaccine in September, joining three other U.S.-based biotech firms that are also in phase 3 testing — Novavax, a joint initiative between Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, and a joint effort between Moderna and NIAI. ------------------------------ Should world governments guarantee free access to the covid-19 vaccine? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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