As millions of people continue to get inoculated around the world, top US infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday (August 8) said he was hopeful that COVID-19 vaccines would be given full approval shortly.
The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have only been granted approval for emergency-use a by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, Fauci said he was hopeful that in a few weeks, full approval would be granted by the agency charged with  protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs and biological products.
“I hope — I don’t predict — I hope that it will be within the next few weeks. I hope it’s within the month of August,” said Fauci on the timeline regarding FDA approval of the jabs.
“If that’s the case, you’re going to see the empowerment of local enterprises, giving mandates that could be colleges, universities, places of business, a whole variety and I strongly support that. The time has come… We’ve got to go the extra step to get people vaccinated,” added Fauci.
Fauci also said that it was likely that most people will need booster shots to give them protection from the coronavirus.
