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Most Americans Won’t Be Able to Get a Coronavirus Vaccine Until Well Into 2021

The first doses will likely be reserved for health workers and others at high risk

Anthony Fauci at a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.
Anthony Fauci at a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.

Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg

Updated on

Even if the most optimistic projections hold true and a Covid-19 vaccine is cleared for U.S. use in November, the vast majority of Americans won’t be able to get the shots until spring or summer next year at the earliest.

That likely timeline, based on interviews and remarks from top specialists including Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, means businesses, schoolchildren and families will continue to wait.