A coronavirus vaccine in 18 months? Experts are skeptical.
Eighteen months might sound like a long time, but in vaccine years, it's a blink. That's the long end of the Trump administration's time window for developing a coronavirus vaccine, and some leaders in the field say this is too fast -- and could come at the expense of safety.
The estimated time made headlines last month, when Trump remarked at a televised Cabinet Room meeting with pharmaceutical executives that a vaccine could be ready in "three to four months." There, in front of TV cameras, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), poured cold water on Trump's estimate, saying it would be more like a year to a year and a half.
Ever since, that estimate of 12-18 months has become gospel, its appearance in media stories ubiquitous. But medical experts and scientists with firsthand experience developing vaccines are skeptical.
"Tony Fauci is saying a year to 18 months -- I think that's optimistic," said Dr. Peter Hotez, a leading expert on infectious disease and vaccine development at Baylor College of Medicine. "Maybe if all the stars align, but probably longer."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/a-coronavirus-vaccine-in-18-months-experts-are-skeptical/ar-BB11Yzjh?li=BBnb7Kz
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