Fauci says the US may not even need the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as it has enough shots for every American

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US might not need to use the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
• He said the US already has enough doses for its population, so it likely won't need those shots.
• He added that the shot was "from a standpoint of efficacy is a good vaccine."

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US might not even need to use the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as the country already has enough shots for every American.

Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert and member of the White House COVID-19 response team, told BBC radio on Tuesday: "Whether or not we ever use AZ is unclear but it looks right now at this point in time that we will not need it," referring to the AstraZeneca shot.

He added: "It's not a negative indictment of AZ, it is just possible that given the supply that we have from other companies that we may not need to use an AZ vaccine."

The vaccine has not yet been authorized for use in the US.

It has already been given to tens of millions of people and is the main shot being used in some countries, like the UK.

European regulators are exploring the vaccine's possible links to rare blood clots, though they say the benefits of the vaccine outweighs the possible risks. Some countries have limited the vaccine's use among certain age groups as a result.

Fauci told the BBC: "I think that the AstraZeneca vaccine from a standpoint of efficacy is a good vaccine, and if the safety issue gets straightened out in the European Union ... the efficacy of that vaccine is really quite good."

Fauci had told Reuters earlier in April that the US might not need the AstraZeneca shot, citing the same reasons.