Fauci "cautiously optimistic" about safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine in late fall, early winter

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Friday he is "cautiously optimistic" that the United States would have a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine this late fall or early winter.

"We hope that by the time we get into late fall and early winter, we will have in fact a vaccine that we can say that would be safe and effective. One can never guarantee the safety or effectiveness unless you do the trial, but we are cautiously optimistic this will be successful," said Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a House subcommittee hearing.