A top HIV scientist said people shouldn’t get their hopes up about seeing a coronavirus vaccine anytime soon.
William Haseltine said it is possible for a vaccine to be developed, but cautioned “I wouldn’t count on it.”
Haseltine, who is known for his groundbreaking work on HIV/AIDS and the human genome, told Reuters that previous attempts made for virus vaccines haven’t worked.
“Do not listen to the politicians who say we’re going to have one by the time my re-election comes around,” Haseltine said during a Wednesday interview. “Maybe we will [but] I’m just saying it’s not a slam-dunk case by any means ... because every time people have tried to make a vaccine — for Sars or Mers — it hasn’t actually protected.”
When looking at COVID-19, he said vaccines developed in the past for other types of coronaviruses didn’t protect mucous membranes in the nose where the virus typically enters the body.
He said experimental COVID-19 vaccines being tested on animals have shown a reduction in the virus, but not an elimination of infection.
He penned an op-ed in the Washington Post about Moderna’s claims earlier this week that its vaccine has seen favorable results in its trial.
He compared the claim to "the equivalent of a chief executive of a public company announcing a favorable earnings report without supplying supporting financial data.”
He said people need to wear masks, wash hands, clean and social distance to prevent the spread of the virus. He said countries who have followed mitigation measures have been the most successful in slowing transmissions.
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