CDC head: COVID driven by 'silent epidemic' of asymptomatic infections
Robert Redfield discusses the nationwide surge in cases and what mitigation tools work best on 'The Daily Briefing'
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield on Tuesday said the much-anticipated rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in the United States could be expected by December.
Redfield told Fox News during an appearance on "The Daily Briefing" that the vaccine could be available in the U.S. "probably by the end of the second week in December," noting that nursing home residents, health care providers and other high-risk individuals would likely be the first to receive it.
FAST FACTS
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield said he expects a December rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the United States
- As of Tuesday afternoon, there were nearly 60 million total global coronavirus infections and over 1.4 million deaths worldwide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University
"I do think we'll have about 40 million doses of vaccine before the end of the ... year," Redfield told host Dana Perino. "That's enough to vaccinate 20 million people. But then it will continue through January and February and hopefully, by March we'll start to see vaccine available for the general public."
The hopes of putting a stop to the coronavirus pandemic seemingly lie with three promising coronavirus vaccine candidates, developed by Moderna, Pfizer, and Oxford-AstraZeneca, respectively. Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine candidates, both of which were created using new gene-based technology, and have proven over 90% effective in late-stage clinical trials. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, has called the results "truly striking."
Pfizer, which was the first to announce the results of its vaccine, recently applied for emergency approval for its vaccine from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Additionally, AstraZeneca and Oxford announced Monday their vaccine was as much as 90% effective in preventing COVID-19. In a press release, the companies said there were no hospitalizations or severe cases of disease in trial participants who received the vaccine.
In the trial, the one-dosing regimen of AZD1222 got promising results when it was split into two jabs dated one month apart. The efficacy went from 90% down to 62% when two full doses were given one month apart.
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Fox News' Alexandria Hein and Samuel Chamberlain contributed to this report.
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