Moncef Slaoui, PhD, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the White House's task force to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, said during a Sept. 21 CNBC interview that Americans "most susceptible" to the disease could be immunized by December if the FDA approves a vaccine before then.
Dr. Slaoui told CNBC the U.S. could vaccinate healthcare workers and most older Americans in January. He said the rest of the country would get inoculated sometime between January and April of 2021.
"We are already stockpiling small amounts of vaccine doses that could become readily available in November or in December," Dr. Slaoui told CNBC.
Health officials nationwide have consistently expressed doubt that a safe and effective vaccine will get approved before the end of the year. Dr. Slaoui's comments come two weeks after nine drugmakers, in a rare move, signed a pledge vowing their companies will uphold a commitment to the scientific process in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
During a Sept. 3 interview with ScienceInsider, Dr. Slaoui said he "would immediately resign if there is undue interference" in the vaccine approval process.