TRYING TO PREVENT ANOTHER SURGE
IN CASES.
NBC NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
MIGUEL ALMAGUER HAS THE LATEST.
MIGUEL, GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANIES SAY THEY ARE MAKING
PROGRESS BUT AMERICANS APPEAR TO
BE SKEPTICAL.
A NEW POLL FINDS 78% OF PEOPLE
THINKS THE VACCINE IS BEING
DRIVEN MORE BY POLITICS THAN
SCIENCE.
COULD IT BE AN OCTOBER PRIZE?
THE HEAD OF VACCINE MAKER PFIZER
SAYS RESULTS COULD BE IN BY THE
END OF NEXT MONTH.
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE
VACCINE WILL BE READY FOR THE
GENERAL PUBLIC.
>> WE WILL NOT CUT CORNERS.
OUR PHASE THREE STUDY WILL BE
THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL ALLOW US
TO SAY IF WE HAVE AN EFFECTIVE
AND SAFE VACCINE.
>> Reporter: DR. ANTHONY FAUCI
SAYS HE HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE
INTEGRITY OF FDA SCIENTISTS AND
TIMING OF RESULTS FROM PHASE
THREE TRIALS WILL DEPEND ON REAL
WORLD CONDITIONS.
>> IF YOU HAVE THE TRIAL BEING
TAKEN PLACE IN AN AREA THAT
HAPPENS TO HAVE A LOT OF
INFECTIONS, YOU MAY GET AN
ANSWER SOONER THAN YOU WOULD
HAVE PROJECTED BECAUSE THE
ANSWER IS EVENT DRIVEN.
>> Reporter: IN OTHER WORDS,
TRIALS IN HOT SPOTS MAY YIELD
QUICKER RESULTS.
BUT WITH SOME AMERICANS RESISTS
EVEN DECADES’ OLD VACCINES, IT’S
NOT CLEAR HOW QUICKLY THE PUBLIC
WILL EMBRACE A BRAND NEW DRUG.
A SURVEY MONKEY POLL FOUND JUST
44% OF AMERICANS WHO SAID THEY
WOULD GET THE VACCINE WITH 22%
SAYING THEY WOULD NOT.
AND DRUG MANUFACTURERS VOWED
THEY WOULD NOT INFLUENCE THE
EFFORT
EFFORT.
>> I DON’T NEED TO HAVE THEM
ANNOUNCE ON NOVEMBER 4th, LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN, WE’VE FOUND THE
VACCINE.
IT’S PERFECT.
>> WATCHING WHAT HAPPENED WITH
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, ONE WOULD BE
WORRIED ABOUT THE VACCINE.
>> Reporter: HE SAID HE WOULD
RESIGN IF THERE’S UNDUE
INTERFERENCE IN THIS PROSCESS.
BUT EVEN WITH FAST TRACKED
APPROVAL, EXPERTS SAY IT’S
UNLIKELY MORE THAN A SMALL
PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS THAT
COULD BE VACCINATED BEFORE 2021.
LEAVING MORE MONTHS OF
UNCERTAINTY AND SUFFERING.
WHILE PROGRESS IS BEING MADE ON
A VACCINE, OFFICIALS IN THIS
COUNTRY DON’T BELIEVE ONE WILL
BE AVAILABLE THE END OF THIS
YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR.
THE W.H.O. SAYS THEY DON’T
