Former FDA commissioner says at least some coronavirus vaccine doses could be available if smaller epidemics hit in the fall

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottleib has repeatedly said life in the United States won't truly be back to normal until a novel COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine is widely available. The most optimistic sources say that likely won't be for another 12 to 18 months, but in the meantime, Gottleib said, there could be some instances where limited doses could be accessible.

During a Sunday appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, Gottleib told host Margaret Brennan that if the coronavirus mounts a comeback in a specific U.S. city in the fall, there may be a protocol in which at least some of the potentially hundreds of thousands of doses of trial vaccines produced for testing could be provided to people. He said that wouldn't be the case for a national epidemic similar to the current situation, but the hope is that with a better understanding of how to combat the virus, epidemics will be more constrained should a second wave hit.

Gottleib also said there's a good chance China could beat the U.S. to the market with a vaccine, though he doesn't seem to be a big fan over what Beijing is tinkering with.