Collins, who had not previously commented publicly on the situation, told POLITICO that “the NIH cannot discuss individual grants.”
The agency chief, who is leading a public-private partnership called ACTIV to hunt for coronavirus vaccines and drugs, said that if “all goes perfectly,” a few million doses of vaccine could be available in October for high-risk groups — with doses available sometime next winter for the rest of the country.
Trump has repeatedly promised a vaccine by the end of the year, much faster than any has ever been developed for any condition.
If China develops a coronavirus vaccine before the U.S. does, Collins said he “seriously hopes” that any tensions between the countries “wouldn’t be a dominant factor” in determining whether the U.S. would have access to a Chinese-manufactured shot.
Source: politico.com
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