NIH: Large-Scale Testing of Some COVID-19 Vaccines Could Start in July

FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A number of COVID-19 vaccines under development “look pretty promising” and one or two could be ready for large-scale testing by July, the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health says.

“Your big challenge now is to go big and everybody is about ready for that. And we want to be sure that happens in a coordinated way,” Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., told the Associated Press. The NIH is working with some of the world’s largest drug makers to develop a master plan for vaccine makers to follow.

Even though no vaccine has been developed, the Trump administration says it is aiming to have 300 million doses available to distribute to Americans by January, the AP reported. That is a “very bold planÂ…a stretch goal if there ever was one,” Collins said. But if “we can get this vaccine out there even a day sooner than otherwise we might have, that’s going to matter to somebody,” he told the AP. Collins emphasized that “no corners are going to be cut” on safety as researchers rush to create a vaccine.

About a dozen potential vaccines worldwide are in the initial stages of, or set to begin, testing in people, the AP reported.

AP News Article