Watch: Dr. Fauci tells Congress a 'promising' vaccine will enter phase three trials next month

Dr. Fauci told the committee that there is a "promising" coronavirus vaccine that will enter phase three trials next month. He told lawmakers that he believes a vaccine could be ready by early 2021. "We feel cautiously optimistic," said the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

Dr. Fauci says "emergency use authorization is importance, but it has to be done in a situation where you fulfill the criteria for emergency use authorization," meaning, he and his colleagues are prioritizing effectiveness of the vaccine over speed of delivery, though he believes trials are moving quickly and companies will be able to produce millions and millions of doses. 

Dr. Fauci and panel of medical leaders confirm that the president has never directed any of them to slow down the coronavirus testing rate.

Morehouse school of medicine will receive a $40 million grant to work to deliver information about the coronavirus to minority communities, says Admiral Brett Giroir. 

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill in front of the Energy and Commerce Committee where he’s expected to face questions about a surge in coronavirus cases in parts of the U.S. and such bigger-picture issues as when a vaccine will be discovered and the potential for a so-called “second wave” of the deadly virus.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will testify before a House committee along with the leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Associated Press.

Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has since the pandemic started in March strongly urged social-distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus. 

Such tactics, including the wearing of face masks in public and sheltering in place, have helped slow the virus. But Fauci's cautious approach to reopening the country has at times put him at odds with President Trump and other Republican lawmakers eager to restart the country’s struggling economy. 

Among the states with recent increases in coronavirus numbers are Arizona, Florida and Texas.

Fauci has recently warned that the U.S. is still in the first wave of the pandemic and has continued to urge the American public to practice social distancing. And, in a recent ABC News interview, he said political demonstrations such as protests against racial injustice are “risky” to all involved.

He said the Trump rally this past weekend was also of concern. 

Fauci continues to recognize widespread testing as critical for catching clusters of  virus cases before they turn into full outbreaks in a given community, the wire service also reports.

About 2.3 million Americans have been sickened in the pandemic, and roughly 120,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.