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NIAID director Anthony Fauci called the coronavirus outbreak his "worst nightmare" and sounded the alarm over its continued spread in an interview aired to a biotechnology conference on Tuesday, the New York Times reports.
What he's saying: Fauci, who spent part of his career studying HIV, said the disease it caused was "really simple compared to what’s going on with COVID-19." He added that he believes that COVID-19's spread can be attributed to the frequency with which sick people were traveling.
- Yet Fauci said he remained surprised at "how rapidly it just took over the planet," asking, "Where is it going to end? We’re still at the beginning of it."
Yes, but: Fauci says he's "almost certain" that more than one of the vaccines in development will be effective.
- Several coronavirus vaccines are already being tested on humans, with Moderna's expected to enter a phase 3 trial in July.