The Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to offer a timeline for COVID-19 vaccine, which the US President suggested could be available "long before the end of the year".

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"I can't predict when a vaccine will be available," he told a leading media outlet on July 5, Xinhua reported. "We are seeing unprecedented speed for the development of a vaccine. But, our solemn promise to the American people is that we will make a decision based upon the data and science on a vaccine, with respect to the safety and effectiveness of that vaccine."

On July 4 address in Washington, the US President said the country is likely to have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year. The commissioner said July 2 that he was "cautiously optimistic" about current efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine, pointing to "year's end or early next year" as potential completion dates. More than 2,852,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States with the fatalities surpassing 129,700 as of July 5 afternoon, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.