Fauci says US may not need AstraZeneca Covid vaccine
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The AstraZeneca vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year.
The United States may not need AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, even if it wins US regulatory approval, Anthony Fauci has said.
The vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year -- for it has been found to show severe side-effects in patients. It has been authorised for use by dozens of countries, not including United States.
The nation's top infectious disease doctor, to this end, told Reuters on Thursday, that the United States has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to vaccinate its entire population, and possibly enough for booster shots in the fall.
Asked whether the United States will use the AstraZeneca vaccine doses, he said, "That's still up in the air. My general feeling is that given the contractual relationships that we have with a number of companies, that we have enough vaccine to fulfill all of our needs without invoking AstraZeneca."
Late last year, the drugmaker and Oxford University published data from an earlier trial with two different efficacy readings as a result of a dosing error. Then in March, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder.