Watch: Dr. Fauci says vaccine could be widely available by April
Fauci said priority groups like healthcare workers could get a vaccine as early as December.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., says he expects that average Americans will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine by April.
His estimation came during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells @jaketapper that an average American could potentially have access to a coronavirus vaccine by April of 2021. pic.twitter.com/u2yn1hI0Mp
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) November 10, 2020
With news of promising developments in vaccine trials, Fauci said that it’s likely healthcare providers will begin distributing vaccines in December, but only to select groups at first. He emphasized that people should still not get complacent in abiding by health measures like wearing masks and avoiding crowds, especially as the country faces a potential surge in cases and deaths through the winter.
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“Don’t give up,” Fauci said. “There’s a real thing called COVID-19 fatigue. That’s understandable. We understand how difficult that is. But hang in there a bit longer, do the thing you need to do, and we’ll be okay.”
While the stack of prioritization in who gets the vaccine is not yet set, Fauci suggested that healthcare workers would be first in line, followed by other vulnerable people like the immunocompromised, the elderly, essential workers, and school teachers and students. He estimated that the average American could get vaccinated by April, but he made clear that the pandemic won’t be totally over then.
“One of the things that we were concerned about [is] that we have a lot of people in this country who may not want to get vaccinated right away,” Fauci said. “It might take well into the second and third quarter to finally get people to be convinced to get vaccinated… But if Jake Tapper wants to get vaccinated, I think you’re going to get vaccinated within the first four months.”
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