Coronavirus Vaccine: President Trump Says Production Will Begin Even Before Final Approvals

President Trump said Friday the possible candidates for a coronavirus vaccine have been narrowed to 14 and manufacture will begin before final Food and Drug Administration approvals are given. Trump said he's hoping a viable vaccine will be available before the end of the year.

In addition to vaccine development, some 130 therapies for COVID-19 are undergoing trials, with 450 others in the planning stages.

"Typically, pharmaceutical companies wait to manufacture a vaccine — a vaccine until it has received all of the regulatory approvals necessary, and this can delay vaccines’ availability to the public as much as a year and even more than that," Trump said. "However, our task is so urgent that, under Operation Warp Speed, the federal government will invest in manufacturing all of the top vaccine candidates before they’re approved."

By early afternoon Friday, the virus had killed more than 86,200 Americans.

"When a vaccine is ready the U.S. government will deploy every soldier and plane available to deploy it," Trump pledged in an announcement in the Rose Garden.

Trump characterized the $10 billion search for a coronavirus vaccine as the "most aggressive in history" and likened it to the Mahnattan Project, which saw the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

"Tremendous strides are being made," Trump said.

The effort will be led by Moncef Slaoui, formerly of GlaxoSmithKline, and Army Gen. Gustave Perna.

National Institute of Health Director Francis Collins told the Associate Press Thursday large-scale testing of a vaccine was expected to begin in July.

Trump hailed Americans for continuing to take precautions against the pandemic, adding that whether or not a vaccine is developed, America has to get back to work.

"Vaccine or no vaccine, we're back. We're starting the process," he said.

Trump noted the U.S. now is conducting 350,000 coronavirus tests a day.

The announcement came as states began easing stay-at-home orders with half the country already open for business.

Economic experts have warned Americans likely won't feel comfortable returning to business as usual until effective treatments and a vaccine against COVID-19 are developed, with medical experts warning reopening the economy too rapidly will lead to a spike in cases and deaths.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this week it was unlikely a vaccine would be available in time for schools to start in the fall while Dr. Richard Bright, former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said Thursday even if a vaccine were available, the U.S. is ill-equipped to distribute it.

Trump told Fox Business Thursday he is prepared to use the military to distribute the vaccine once it is available.

"You know, it's a massive job to give this vaccine. Our military is now being mobilized so at the end of the year we're going to be able to give it to a lot of people very, very rapidly," Trump said.