Anthony Fauci Shares Serious Doubts About Safety Of Russias Coronavirus Vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci , the USs top infectious disease expert, expressed serious doubt about the safety of a Russian-created vaccine for the coronavirus .

Having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told ABC News Deborah Roberts in a preview clip of an interview for National Geographic that was released Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday claimed the countrys coronavirus vaccine, the first in the world, was ready for use even though it has not been subjected to a large-scale clinical trial.

Fauci explained in the interview that National Geographic will broadcast in full online Thursday that the U.S. has half a dozen or more vaccines in development and could start administering them as soon as next week if we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people, or giving them something that doesnt work.

But, thats not the way it works, he said.

So, I hope, but I havent heard any evidence to make me feel thats the case, I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective, Fauci continued. I seriously doubt that theyve done that.

People should understand that the U.S. is not yet claiming to have a vaccine because we have a way of doing things in this country where we care about safety and we care about efficacy, Fauci added.

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb , who left his role in President Donald Trump s administration in April 2019, echoed Faucis concerns on CNBCs Squawk Box on Tuesday .

I wouldnt take it, certainly not outside a clinical trial right now, said Gottlieb. Theyre claiming that its fully approved, but its not fully approved.

We certainly wouldnt allow a vaccine to be used for mass distribution at this point based on the data we have at hand, he added. We just dont know if the vaccines are safe and effective at this point.

Check out Faucis comments here:

Concocting a #COVID19 vaccine is not the same thing as proving a vaccine is safe and effective. \"We have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety and we care about efficacy,\" says Dr. Fauci https://t.co/mjUQt5Ep13 pic.twitter.com/ijlFmhTXC9

National Geographic (@NatGeo) August 11, 2020","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"National Geographic","author_url":"https://twitter.com/NatGeo","cache_age":86400,"description":"Concocting a #COVID19 vaccine is not the same thing as proving a vaccine is safe and effective. \"We have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety and we care about efficacy,\" says Dr. Fauci https://t.co/mjUQt5Ep13 pic.twitter.com/ijlFmhTXC9 National Geographic (@NatGeo) August 11, 2020\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EfK8nGxXkAQVSey.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"National Geographic on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/1293315435354624017","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"archive","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"in","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5f33dc79c5b64cc99fe0b681","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/archive/in/entry/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-anthony-fauci_in_5f33dc79c5b64cc99fe0b681","entryTagsList":"coronavirus,covid-19,donald-trump,politics,russia,vaccine,vladimir-putin,anthony-fauci,@chubwidget,@coronavirus_label_us","sectionSlug":"news","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.news","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":19},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5f33dc79c5b64cc99fe0b681","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"coronavirus","slug":"coronavirus","links":{"relativeLink":"news/coronavirus","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/coronavirus","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/coronavirus"},"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Coronavirus","slug":"coronavirus","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/coronavirus"},{"name":"COVID-19","slug":"covid-19","links":{"relativeLink":"news/covid-19","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/covid-19","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/covid-19"},"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Coronavirus","slug":"coronavirus","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/coronavirus"},{"name":"donald trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"news/donald-trump","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/donald-trump"},"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"2020 US ELECTIONS","slug":"2020-us-elections","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/2020-us-elections"},{"name":"politics","slug":"politics","links":{"relativeLink":"news/politics","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/politics","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/politics"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/politics"},{"name":"Russia","slug":"russia","links":{"relativeLink":"news/russia","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/russia","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/russia"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/russia"},{"name":"Vaccine","slug":"vaccine","links":{"relativeLink":"news/vaccine","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/vaccine","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/vaccine"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/vaccine"},{"name":"Vladimir Putin","slug":"vladimir-putin","links":{"relativeLink":"news/vladimir-putin","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/vladimir-putin","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/vladimir-putin"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/vladimir-putin"},{"name":"Anthony Fauci","slug":"anthony-fauci","links":{"relativeLink":"news/anthony-fauci","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/anthony-fauci","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.in/news/anthony-fauci"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/in/topic/anthony-fauci"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

Concocting a #COVID19 vaccine is not the same thing as proving a vaccine is safe and effective. "We have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety and we care about efficacy," says Dr. Fauci https://t.co/mjUQt5Ep13 pic.twitter.com/ijlFmhTXC9
National Geographic (@NatGeo) August 11, 2020

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus

Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
7 essential pieces of relationship advice for couples in quarantine
What you need to know about face masks right now
How to tell if you need to start doing online therapy
Lost your job due to coronavirus? Heres what you need to know .
Parenting during the coronavirus crisis?
The HuffPost guide to working from home
What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall and keep it free for everyone by becoming a HuffPost member today .