Operation Warp Speed leader says he expects coronavirus vaccine to be highly effective, 'in the 90%' range - CNN

Slaoui added that with a Covid-19 vaccine, "it's possible that we will need a booster" after initial vaccination "every year or every two years or every three years." 

Slaoui said he expects "to probably have a few tens of millions of doses" of vaccine in December of this year or January of next year, and those would go to high-risk individuals because "we will not have doses for the full US population on day one."

High-risk individuals include the elderly and those with underlying health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Slaoui said he's "optimistic" there will be vaccines for all Americans by the end of 2021, but ideally by the middle of 2021.

"That's our objective," he said.

Vaccine trials moving at record pace

Operation Warp Speed is funding eight vaccines, Slaoui said.

Five of those are already in Phase 3 clinical trials or will be starting by the end of September, he said.

The Covid-19 vaccine Phase 3 trials will each involve 30,000 study subjects.

"I've been doing this for 30 years, and the fastest thing that I ever can remember that went from discovery to Phase Three trials was in four years."  

 

Vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer are in Phase 3 in the United States, and a vaccine by AstraZeneca is in Phase 3 trials in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa.