COVID-19 vaccines are projected to be available to the entire American public by April 2021, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said at an Oct. 21 press briefing.
That timeline is in keeping with estimates made by other public-health officials, but is among the strongest and most specific statements made about the widespread availability of a coronavirus vaccine in the U.S.
Two vaccine candidates—those made by Pfizer and Moderna—are nearing the end of the clinical trial process, and the pharmaceutical companies are already building up sizable stockpiles. Assuming these (and possibly other) vaccines meet safety and efficacy standards and are granted emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Azar said he expects to have enough doses to immunize the U.S.’ “most vulnerable individuals” by the end of 2020.
By the end of January 2021, he said, he expects to have enough doses to immunize seniors, health care workers and first responders. And “by the end of March to early April, [there should be] enough vaccine for all Americans who would want to take a vaccine,” Azar said. (It’s not clear how many people that will be; recent polls suggest the majority of U.S. adults have some concerns about the safety and development of these vaccines.)