https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/18/coronavirus-trump-predicts-a-vaccine-by-end-of-2020-experts-offer-a-different-timetable/ > The Trump administration on Friday formally announced a hyper-ambitious plan to develop and manufacture hundreds of millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine that would be widely available by the end of this year. > The reason behind the plan’s optimism was unveiled on Monday morning: The leading candidate vaccine, developed by the drug maker Moderna in conjunction with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center, appeared to generate an immune response in eight healthy volunteers.