Dr. Anthony Fauci says he understands the skepticism about the speed of the approval and distribution of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine but insisted that the development wasn't done at the sacrifice of safety.
"The speed was the reflection of extraordinary advances in the science of vaccine platform technology to be able to do things technically in months that some time ago, five, 10 years ago, may have taken several years," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday.
In addition, the investment of "hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars" in getting the vaccine ready for distribution also contributed to the speed in getting the medication out, said Fauci, adding that "we have to keep emphasizing speed means the science was extraordinary that got us here."
Monday's rollout of the vaccine marked a "bittersweet" moment, Fauci also said.
"We are still in a terrible situation with the numbers that you mentioned, the deaths, the hospitalizations, the number of cases and yet we're really now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is going to ultimately get us through this," said Fauci.
Getting to that point, however, will require about 75% to 80% of the American population to be vaccinated, he added, but meanwhile, public health precautions must continue to be followed.
Fauci also said he doesn't see a conflict between his current position with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and his upcoming position as Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, as the ultimate goals are the same about ending the coronavirus pandemic.
He also believes that Biden and Kamala Harris should get the vaccine, as well as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
"You still want to protect people who are very important to our country right now, even though the president himself was infected and he has likely antibodies that likely would be protective, we're not sure how long that protection lasts," said Fauci.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.