'Three COVID-19 vaccine candidates looking really good'

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed optimism that the United States would soon come up with a workable vaccine for the novel coronavirus, saying three vaccine candidates were looking particularly good.

“Three are really, really looking good,” Trump said at an event at the White House, without providing details. “We think we’re going to have it soon.”

At least 17 COVID-19 vaccines being tested as a part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program.

Operation Warp Speed (OWS) aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021, as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (collectively known as countermeasures).

The US government is making investments in the necessary manufacturing capacity at its own risk, giving firms confidence that they can invest aggressively in development and allowing faster distribution of an eventual vaccine.

Manufacturing capacity developed will be used for whatever vaccine is eventually successful, if possible given the nature of the successful product, regardless of which firms have developed the capacity.

Congress has directed almost $10 billion to this effort through supplemental funding, including the CARES Act. Congress has also appropriated other flexible funding. The almost $10 billion specifically directed includes more than $6.5 billion designated for countermeasure development through BARDA and $3 billion for NIH research.