DONALD TRUMP’s top coronavirus expert still believes there is a chance a Covid-19 vaccine could arrive this year.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US, offered the positive assessment during an appear on The Late Late Show in Ireland.
Speaking to host Ryan Tubridy, urged people to “hang in there” just a little longer.
“This is going to end,” he told the RTE presenter.
“We should know by the end of this calendar year – let’s say November, December – whether we have a safe and effective vaccine that can then be started to be deployed," he added.
“Once we get vaccines distributed in the population – we won’t be completely avoiding and not adhering to public health measures – but clearly, they will be much less restrictive.
“Vaccines are going to make things much more amenable to approaching some sort of normality in society.”
"The enemy is the virus, the enemy is not the public health people who are trying to contain the virus."
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks with Ryan about trying to contain Covid19.#LateLate pic.twitter.com/sIJ0v0nfbT— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) September 25, 2020
Dr Fauci was also quizzed about his relationship with President Trump, which he descried as “good” despite the pair having had several disagreements in the past.
He also laughed off the President’s public remarks undermining the virus expert’s assessments as “part of the game”.
“You just have to tell the truth,” he said.
“Go by the science and be driven and read by scientific data and evidence. There’s conflict with people, you just don’t take it personally.”