By PYMNTS
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci told lawmakers Wednesday, September 23 that 50 million COVID-19 vaccine doses might be available by November and possibly a further 100+ million in December, but the general public will not get them then.
“If you’re talking about who’s going to get vaccinated in December or November, it is not going to be a large proportion of the population,” Fauci said. “It … likely will be healthcare providers and likely will be those who are vulnerable with underlying conditions.”
Fauci said he couldn’t say for sure but “by the time you get to maybe the third or fourth month of 2021, then you’ll have doses for everyone.” The official said that three platform candidate vaccines have entered the phase-three trial stage and that there will be a fourth shortly.
“We feel strongly that if we have a combination of adherence to the public health measures together with a vaccine that will be distributed to people in this country and worldwide, we may be able to turn around this terrible pandemic,” Fauci said.
A coronavirus vaccine being created and broadly available is the most essential event that needs to occur prior to the time that typical routines can be restarted, as far as consumers are concerned.
A PYMNTS survey indicated that 31.7 percent believe a vaccine had to be made available prior to the time that their work lives could go back to normal, and 26.6 percent felt the same before they could go back to their usual leisurely activities.
In mid-March, Fauci announced that he thought it could take from 12 to 18 months to create a COVID-19 vaccine, but most American consumers thought their lives would restart much sooner.
The PYMNTS March 17 poll indicated that 59.4 percent anticipated returning to their typical routines in three months or sooner.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield previously said he believes a vaccine would be initially available “sometime between November and December,” but it would be in very short supply and would have to be prioritized.
