Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned against distributing an emergency Coronavirus vaccine until proper testing can be carried out. Doing so could harm other vaccine trials, he said.
The infectious diseases expert told Reuters that releasing a vaccine before it can be proven to be effective and safe would be harmful. His comments come as President Donald Trump has pushed for just such an action.
“The one thing that you would not want to see with a vaccine is getting an EUA [emergency use authorization] before you have a signal of efficacy,” Fauci said.
“One of the potential dangers if you prematurely let a vaccine out is that it would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the other vaccines to enroll people in their trial.”
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Fauci pointed out that any vaccine for Coronavirus developed between now and 2021 would have to be proven and tested and that it could otherwise prove unsafe.
“To me, it’s absolutely paramount that you definitively show that a vaccine is safe and effective, both,” he said.
“We would hope that nothing interferes with the full demonstration that a vaccine is safe and effective.”
By contrast, President Trump has touted the idea of a vaccine before the November election and has repeatedly suggested there may be miracle treatments for Covid-19.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
