US President Donald Trump shocked the world Friday afternoon when he said his government was working on getting a fully licensed vaccine for the Coronavirus ready for anyone who wants it by the end of this year.
âWe would love to see if we could do it prior to end of the yearâ, Trump said during a press event Friday.
His prediction outpaces the outlook given by most health officials around the world and if the president is right, It will be the fastest ever to get a vaccine to the market and the speed is making scientists around the world including the US question the veracity of the presidentâs claim.
Peter Hotez, co-Director of the Baylor College of Medicine Coronavirus vaccine team says he does not see path on which this happen in the stated timeline without side tracking known safety and efficacy standards.
According to Moncef Siaoul, ex-head of GlaxoSmithKlineâs vaccines division who has been named by Trump to lead the search for a Covid-19 vaccine in the US, there was data to suggest that the end of year timeline can be met.
Siaoul, who has been a venture capitalist since leaving the pharmaceutical giant in 2017, will act as the chief adviser to the vaccine effort under Trumpâs WARP speed project that seeks to get a cure or vaccine on to the market with incredible speed.