Health News Roundup: 300 million doses of effective vaccine by 2021; Regeneron and Sanofi failed to meet the main goals and more

The U.S. National Institutes of Health's director said on Thursday that he was optimistic that the Trump administration's vaccine-acceleration program, Operation Warp Speed, will generate a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 by year end and can meet a target of making 300 million doses by early 2021.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health's director said on Thursday that he was optimistic that the Trump administration's vaccine-acceleration program, Operation Warp Speed, will generate a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 by year end and can meet a target of making 300 million doses by early 2021. "That's really a stretch goal, but it's the right goal for the American people," Dr. Francis Collins said at a hearing held by a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations to discuss the program. Regeneron, Sanofi arthritis drug fails late-stage study in COVID-19 patients

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi said on Thursday their rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara failed to meet the main goals of a late-stage study testing it in COVID-19 patients. A separate Sanofi-led trial outside of the United States in hospitalized patients with severe and critical COVID-19 using a different dosing regimen is ongoing, the companies said. 'Very little risk' that pets can infect owners with COVID, WHO says

There is 'very little risk' that pets can infect their owners with COVID-19, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told a Geneva news conference that felines, ferrets and "even tigers" have been infected with the disease.