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U.S. scientist warns coronavirus vaccine not guaranteed as worldwide cases hit 5 million - NBCNews.com
May 21, 2020 59 secs
scientist behind groundbreaking research in cancer and HIV/AIDS is warning that a vaccine for the coronavirus may never be found, as the number of global COVID-19 infections surged past 5 million on Thursday.

William Haseltine, who has also worked on human genome projects, said that while a COVID-19 vaccine could be developed, “I wouldn’t count on it.” Instead, he told Reuters, countries beginning to reverse lockdown measures need to lean on careful tracing of infections and strict isolation measures to control the spread.

Britain's Oxford University has trials underway that if successful could see a vaccine available by September, while in the U.S., Massachusetts-based firm Moderna announced this week its first round of testing of a vaccine were strong enough to move ahead to a larger second trial.

Even without an effective treatment or vaccine, he said the virus can be controlled by identifying infections, finding people who have been exposed and isolating them.

It cautioned that not all businesses and institutions should reopen yet — depending on the number of coronavirus cases in their local areas — and instead recommended a three-phase approach, one more permissive than the last, provided rates of transmission do not spike.

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