--- title: "Fauci Says He’s “Cautiously Optimistic” There’ll Be a COVID Vaccine This Year" description: "Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told lawmakers that he is \"cautiously optimistic\" a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine will be ready this year." date: "2020-07-31" modified: "2020-07-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fauci-cautiously-optimistic-covid-19-vaccine-this-year" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "anthony fauci" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "vaccines" --- # Fauci Says He’s “Cautiously Optimistic” There’ll Be a COVID Vaccine This Year ![Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told lawmakers that he is "cautiously optimistic" a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine will be ready this year.]() *\Image: Karolina Grabowska\* Top United States infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told a House panel today that he is "cautiously optimistic" that a COVID vaccine will be made available in the US in late fall or early winter, [*CNN* reports](). "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," he told a House subcommittee that was formed to investigate Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic. "One can never guarantee the safety or effectiveness unless you do the trial, but we are cautiously optimistic this will be successful," he added. Fauci said that vaccines currently in development showed a healthy response, triggering a "neutralizing antibody response" that's comparable to the response in those who had already recovered from COVID-19. The news comes after a large-scale phase three trial of a vaccine developed by biotech Moderna [kicked off]() on Monday, becoming the first US-based coronavirus vaccine to do so. About 30,000 adult volunteers will be part of the trial across 89 US research sites. In a Thursday [*ABC News* interview](), Fauci stressed the [importance of wearing masks]() to “not only protect us against COVID-19, but also help protect us against influenza” during this year's upcoming flu season. "Go out there and get your flu shot when the flu vaccine becomes available," he added. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()