Dr Anthony Fauci - who is leading efforts to supress Coronavirus in the United States - has said he is cautiously optimistic that the US would have a safe and effective vaccine by the late autumn or early winter.
He was giving evidence in Washington before a Congressional committee which is examining how President Trump's administration handled the pandemic.
Dr Fauci said a late-stage trial involving some 30,000 volunteers looked promising. He said an effective vaccine was not guaranteed, but he confidently expressed it would become a 'reality' going into 2021.
The United States has registered 1,442 new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in the latest 24-hour period. The figure was collated by Johns Hopkins University, the college based