
The world should see a vaccine that protects people from Covid-19 within the next year to year and a half, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday.
And companies making the vaccines have reassured him they will be able to make up to a billion doses, Fauci said during a Georgetown University Global Health Initiative webinar. That’s more than the US would need.
“So right away, I’m feeling much better about getting a vaccine that’s distributed not only within our country, but then to be able to have doses for people throughout the world, who cannot afford, nor are they in a situation where it’s very easy for them to get vaccinated,” Fauci said.
Fauci said that while no vaccine is going to be 100% protective, scientists think there will be herd immunity if there are enough survivors from the disease and enough people get vaccinated with one that is 70% to 75% effective.
“And I hope that that time will be reasonably soon,” he said. “When I say ‘soon,’ I say within the next year to year and a half.”
Earlier Tuesday, vaccine maker Moderna, which has the backing of the US government, said its Phase 1 safety data showed two doses of its experimental vaccine elicited an antibody response in 100% of volunteers with no serious safety problems. Moderna said it would begin Phase 3 experiments, the last stage before approval, on July 27 with 30,000 volunteers.
The World Health Organization says 23 potential coronavirus vaccines are being tested in people around the world.