Did Russia really have a medical breakthrough on a coronavirus vaccine? Western medical experts, including an LSU medical school professor, are highly skeptical.
The current race to find a vaccine for this pandemic is unprecedented, says Dr. Fred Lopez of LSU. But the finish line is still a long way off.
"Even at the speed that we've created, which is extremely fast, we are nowhere near having a vaccine that's approved as safe and effective," Dr. Lopez said.
Dr. Lopez says it takes months of testing of thousands of people to determine if a vaccine can be approved for widespread use.
"Remarkably we have several that are in phase three studies, looking at tens of thousands of individuals to see if a vaccine can prevent infection or prevent complications when people get infected," said Lopez.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a top member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force has said a vaccine isn't likely until the beginning of 2021 at the earliest.
