Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told Reuters on Thursday that the United States may not need AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, even if it wins U.S. regulatory approval.
“The vaccine, once hailed as another milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dogged by questions since late last year, even as it has been authorized for use by dozens of countries, not including the US,” said the news.
Additional comments from Dr. Fauci mentioned, “If you look at the numbers (of doses) that we’re going to be getting, the amount that you can get from J&J, from Novavax from Moderna if we contract for more, it is likely that we can handle any boost that we need, but I can’t say definitely for sure.”
Elsewhere chatters also grew louder suggesting the US government is working on new travel guidance for vaccinated Americans and the same will be out by Friday. However, nothing key appeared strong during the dull Good Friday markets.
Market reaction
Given the holiday in multiple Asian markets, due to the Good Friday, there was a little reaction to the news that should have ideally weighed on the sentiment. That said, S&P 500 Futures print mild gains of 0.12% by the press time.
Read: Gold Price Analysis: XAU/USD bulls probed below $1,750 amid thin holiday trade