Fauci says COVID-19 vaccine with 98% effectiveness hard to achieve

White House coronavirus taskforce member Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that a 75 percent effective COVID-19 vaccine will do as chances of scientists creating 98 percent effective vaccine are very slim. Dr. Fauci while speaking at the Brown University School of Public Health said that even vaccines with the effectiveness of more than 50 percent would be acceptable as there are very slim chances of scientists developing a vaccine with an effectiveness of more than 90 percent. Dr. Fauci said that one must never abandon the public health approach and should look at the vaccine as a tool that can bring the pandemic under control. 

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FDA on vaccine

The United States Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn had also said that the organisation will authorise the use of any vaccine that is at least 50 percent effective. Dr. Hahn on reportedly July 30 said that after a lot of discussion with experts that have decided to keep 50 percent as a benchmark, of course hoping to achieve an accuracy of more than that but more than 50 percent will also do. According to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a 50 percent effective COVID-19 vaccine will be on par with influenza vaccines. 

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The United States is currently the worst affected country in the world with over 4.9 million confirmed infections and at least 1,61,000 deaths to date. According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, the world has recorded more than 19 million cases as of August 7 and over 7,21,000 deaths. The United States is followed by Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa in terms of cases, while in deaths, the US is above Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and India. 

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