WASHINGTON, Nov 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The United States’ top infectious
disease official said Thursday that two coronavirus vaccines being tested
were “solid,” and that the speed at which they were developed has not
compromised safety or integrity.
Anthony Fauci spoke at a rare briefing from the White House virus task
force to reassure some public concerns about the two vaccines — one from
Pfizer/BioNTech and the other by Moderna — after both companies announced
successful trials.
“The process of the speed did not compromise at all safety nor did it
compromise scientific integrity. It was a reflection of the extraordinary
scientific advances in these types of vaccines which allowed us to do things
in months that actually took years before,” he said.
And he sought to address fears that the vaccine announcements may have been
politically driven.
“It was actually an independent body of people who have no allegiance to
anyone — not to the administration, not to me, not to the companies — that
looked at the data and deemed it to be sound,” he said.
Next the data will be carefully examined by the Food and Drug
Administration, he said. BioNTech has said it will apply to the FDA for
emergency use authorization by Friday.
“So we need to put to rest any concept that this was rushed in an
inappropriate way. This is really solid,” Fauci continued.
The BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna shots have taken the lead in the global
chase for a vaccine, after large-scale trial data this month showed that
their jabs were around 95 percent effective against Covid-19.
The twin breakthroughs have lifted hopes for an end to a pandemic that has
infected more than 56 million people and caused more than 1.3 million deaths
worldwide since the virus first emerged in China late last year.