Former FDA Commissioner: COVID-19 vaccine may be seasonal
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb expects a vaccine for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, will be seasonal, akin to a flu shot.
“This is probably going to be a seasonal vaccine, the coronavirus vaccine,” Gottlieb said. “probably a vaccine we’re going to need to take every year.”
Gottlieb made the remarks during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box. Gottlieb also said the vaccine likely won’t be similar to polio or measles vaccines, where one dose can protect a person for life.
“You’re going to need to take this shot regularly, or maybe annually,” he said, adding that the agency does not yet know how long immunity from the vaccine will last.
The comments come after White House health advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Anthony Fauci, MD, said immunity from the vaccine is likely to last less than a year. At the same time, Fauci was hopeful the U.S. would have hundreds of millions of doses of an effective vaccine by early 2021.
Gottlieb served as chief of the FDA from May 11, 2017, to April 5, 2019.
See the full interview below:
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."