Dr Anthony Fauci, top infectious disease specialist and senior advisor to US President Donald Trump on COVID-19, said that he remains confident that a Coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year, telling lawmakers that a quarter-million Americans already have volunteered to take part in clinical trials.

But if the future looks encouraging, public health alarms are still going off in the present. Officials testifying with Dr Fauci at a contentious House hearing on Friday acknowledged that the US remains unable to deliver all COVID-19 test results within two or three days, and they jointly pleaded with Americans to comply with basic precautions such as wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and washing their hands frequently.