Fauci says of coronavirus vaccine 'it will be when not if'

The top infectious disease expert for the US government, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said “it will be when and not if” with regard to the release of a coronavirus vaccine. On Tuesday, speaking to a House committee, he said that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that there will be something ready by the end of the year, reports AP News.

Fauci returned to Capitol Hill as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in roughly half of the states, after reopening measures have begun.

Fauci testified along with a top official for the Department of Health and Human Services, heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Recently, Fauci cautioned that the US has not yet entered the second wave and that social distancing is still necessary. He recently called the social upheaval and civil unrest of protests “risky” to everyone involved. He added that this also applies to political rallies. Trump has held one rally, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so far during this campaign season.

Fauci believes that high rates of testing throughout the country are necessary to find clusters of coronavirus cases before they become full outbreaks.

After weeks of cautionary measures and stay-at-home orders, states have taken different approaches to the pandemic with some being less cautious.

Approximately 2.3 million Americans have tested positive for the virus while over one million recoveries have been reported, roughly 120,000 have died, reports Johns Hopkins University.

“There have been a lot of unfortunate missteps in the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

“As communities across the country ease social distancing guidance and reopen their economies, it is critically important that both the administration and Congress remain focused on containing the spread of the coronavirus and providing the resources and support Americans need during this time of crisis.”

While there is not yet a vaccine or a clinically approved treatment, some patients have been helped by remdesivir, plasma from recovered patients and dexamethasone.

Committee Democrats of the Energy and Commerce Committee are critical of the administration and certain GOP members were concerned earlier in the year about lack of preparation in the administration.

Since the last time Fauci testified, the US has increased its testing and now approximately 27.5 million people have been tested. Contract tracing, which has been promised by many community and local leaders, has not yet come to fruition in an organized, sustained way.