The bitter politics surrounding the USA response to the coronavirus was evident at the hearing by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Dr Anthony Fauci - who is leading efforts to supress Coronavirus in the United States - has said he is cautiously optimistic that the U.S. would have a safe and effective vaccine by the late autumn or early winter.

Reiterating earlier statements, Fauci said he was "cautiously optimistic" that a vaccine would be available in 2021.

He made the remarks while testifying at the coronavirus crisis hearing in Capitol Hill.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, launched into a tense exchange with Fauci, asking the infectious disease expert if the government should limit demonstrations against police brutality to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite those advances, Dr. Fauci doesn't think the US will have to "depend" on other countries for a vaccine though.

The United States has recorded almost 1.8 million new COVID-19 cases in July out of its total 4.5 million known infections, an increase of 66% with many states yet to report on Friday.

Jordan also cited the Supreme Court's decision to reject a Nevada church's request to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions that the state's casinos, restaurants, amusement parks, and other businesses must abide by.

Following weeks of questions about their relationship, Fauci joined Trump Thursday at the American Red Cross headquarters - the first time they met in person since June 2 - for a roundtable to raise awareness of the importance of donating plasma.

Further, according to the report, Dr Fauci believes that the US National Institutes of Health will be working with Indian counterparts in a bid to show that Indian research and development capacity is integrated along with the global effects in producing vaccines for the novel Coronavirus. "You make comments on dating, on baseball and everything you could imagine". When Fauci said he was not in a position to make such a recommendation, the lawmaker retorted: "You make all kinds of recommendations".

"I'm not favoring anybody over anybody", Fauci responded.

Mr. Fauci said that goggles were indispensable for those who want "perfect protection of the mucosal surfaces". "I'm not going to opine on limiting anything".

The meeting's actual title was "The Urgent Need for a National Plan to Contain the Coronavirus", which is not a response to there being literally no contingencies around the pandemic, but to the rising number of United States citizens getting sick. "When you're in a crowd, particularly if you're not wearing a mask, that induces the spread".

Fauci, who made headlines in March by describing US testing efforts as a failing, repeatedly handed off questions about the current state of testing from Democrats critical of Trump to get him to characterize the current situation to witnesses more directly involved with that effort.