Anthony Fauci: ‘Normal life will not be possible before late 2021’

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said even if a COVID-19 vaccine is made available within this year, people will be able to return to normality after mid-next year. The global daily total of confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 310,000 per day, breaking the previous record.

“It’s possible that at least one of the vaccines being tested could get emergency authorization from the US Food & Drug Administration by the end of this year or early next year,” Dr. Fauci told an interview with MSNBC on Friday. “By the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccinations, and you get the majority, or more, of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen to the mid or end of 2021.” He has indicated that even if a vaccine is developed, it will take at least half a year before the vaccine is administered to the majority of people to provide them with immunity.

Dr. Fauci also immediately refuted President Donald Trump’s claim the previous day that the peak of the trend in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States is behind. There are more than 40,000 new confirmed cases and nearly 1,000 deaths per day in the nation, the top infectious disease expert said. “The situation is still worrisome.”


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