CDC Director Believes COVID-19 Vaccine Will Likely Be Generally Available In 2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday (Sept. 16) that he thinks a COVID-19 vaccine would likely be generally available to the American public in late Q2 or Q3 of next year.

Redfield said he believes a vaccine would be first available “sometime between November and December,” although it would be in very limited supply and would need to be prioritized.

The official indicated that approximately 80 million people in the United States “have significant comorbidities that put themselves at risk,” noting that they “have to get vaccinated.”

Redfield also referred to Operation Warp Speed, the initiative led by the U.S. to create a vaccine, as “unprecedented.” Redfield said it usually takes four to six years for a vaccine’s development, noting he believes that the fastest was two years.

“This vaccine has the potential to save a lot of lives in November and December,” Redfield said.

As PYMNTS previously noted, a COVID-19 vaccine being created and broadly available is the most pivotal event that has to take place before regular routines can be restarted.

PYMNTS’ survey indicated that 31.7 percent of consumers thought a vaccine has to become available before their work lives could go back to normal, while 26.6 percent felt the same prior to the time they could go back to their usual leisurely activities.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci said on March 16 he thought it could take from 12 to 18 months to create a coronavirus vaccine, but most American consumers though their lives would rebound quicker.

PYMNTS’ March 17 poll indicated that 59.4 percent of consumers expected to resume their normal routines in three months or sooner.

A recent CDC poll found that eatery and bar customers are more likely to come down with COVID-19, the disease that the coronavirus causes.

The CDC reported a probe of COVID-19 outpatients from 11 medical centers determined that patients were two times as likely to have reported dining at an eatery.