Dr. Fauci just issued a crucial warning about coronavirus vaccines

[Chris Smith]

• Giving a coronavirus vaccine candidate an emergency use authorization before the final data is available would jeopardize the entire effort, said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a new interview.
• Fauci is just one of many health officials worried that the Trump administration might pressure the FDA into approving a vaccine for emergency use before the November presidential election.
• The comments came were after the FDA just gave an emergency use authorization to plasma therapy despite concerns from health officials that the move was premature.

Vaccine development typically takes years of testing, but the first coronavirus vaccines may be available within a year of the initial discovery of the virus. We're not counting the Russian vaccine that's already "out" without any research data to prove that it's safe and effective. There are as many as a dozen experimental drugs out of more than 150 vaccine candidates have reached Phase 3 of testing, and some of them might receive emergency use authorization (EUA) in the coming months, once Phase 3 trials are complete. However, some scientists, like the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, are worried that President Trump will pressure the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve a vaccine before the November election. Trump on Sunday announced a "COVID-19 breakthrough" that's not actually a breakthrough at all: convalescent plasma therapy. That type of treatment works in infectious diseases and has been used for more than 100 years. But recent studies have shown that plasma is only suitable for coronavirus cases under specific conditions, and it won't save all the COVID-19 patients who experience severe cases.

In light of the pressure Trump applied to get the FDA's stamp on plasma therapy despite the lack of supporting data, Fauci now warns that getting an EUA for a vaccine before the research is completed could jeopardize the entire effort.

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Dr. Fauci just issued a crucial warning about coronavirus vaccines originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 25 Aug 2020 at 12:06:36 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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