Dr. Fauci says a 'promising' coronavirus vaccine will enter phase three trials next month meaning thousands of people will take part in human trial

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Dr. Anthony Fauci said there is a 'promising' coronavirus vaccine entering phase three trials next month and there could be a cure ready by early next year.

'It will be when and not if' there is a vaccine, Fauci said.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in his testimony before Congress on Tuesday, said there were several vaccines moving through the federal approval process at 'various paces.' 

'One of them will enter phase three study in July. This is one that has already shown in preliminary studies, some very favorable response in the animal models that were developed,' he told members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in his opening remarks. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci said there is a 'promising' coronavirus vaccine entering phase three trials next month

Dr. Fauci was spotted taking selfies before he testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee

In Phase III, the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

'We feel cautiously optimistic,' Fauci added and said he expects there to be a vaccine 'within a year from when we started, which would put us at the end of this calendar year at the beginning of 2021.'

He said there were a number of options for a cure to the deadly disease.

‘Anything is on the table,’ Dr. Fauci assured lawmakers when it came to a vaccine. ‘The doors are not closed to other candidates. You can be assured of that.’ 

Fauci's testimony comes as President Donald Trump has urged the country to reopen - a move health care professionals have warned should proceed with caution.

'We’ve been hit badly,' Fauci told lawmakers.

The United States has had more than 2.36 million coronavirus infections and more than 122,000 people have died. 

Fauci also said he has not personally recommended to President Trump that he wear a face mask.

'I don't think I can comment on what the President's - the multiple factors that go into the President's not wearing a mask. certainly, I wear a mask in public all the time,' he said.

'I have not directly recommended to the president to wear a mask. But I think it's very clear to anybody in the country, because I talk about it so often, of the importance of having physical distance with a mask, and if you are going to be either beyond your control or by your own choice in a crowd that it is imperative to wear a mask at all times,' he added. 

Several states in the reopening process, including Texas, Oklahoma and Florida, have seen increased number of cases as stay at home orders have eased up and businesses have begun to reopen. 

The White House is preparing for a possible second wave coming this fall.

'We are filling the stockpile in anticipation of a possible problem in the fall. We are doing everything we can beneath the surface, working as hard as we possibly can,″ trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNN on Sunday. 'You prepare — you prepare for what can possibly happen. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but of course you prepare.'

Twenty-five states reported more new cases in the week ended June 21 than the previous week, including 10 states that saw weekly new infections rise more than 50 percent and 12 states that posted new records, according to a Reuters analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project. 

Dr. Fauci told lawmakers a vaccine could be ready in early 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci said it will be 'when and not if' there is a coronavirus vaccine - above a first-stage clinical trial is conducted

The United States saw a 25 percent increase in new cases in the last week compared to the previous seven days with Arizona, Florida and Texas experiencing record surges in new infections

Texas reported one of the largest rises in new cases at 24,000 for the week ended June 21, an increase of 84 percent from the previous week. The number of COVID-19 tests that came back positive in the state rose to 10 percent from 7 percent.

New cases in Florida rose 87 percent last week to almost 22,000 with the state's positive test rate nearly doubling to 11 percent.

Arizona reported 17,000 new cases, a 90 percent increase, with 20 percent of tests coming back positive.

The governors of all three states have attributed the increases in new cases to more testing, as well as younger people not following social distancing guidelines. 

The alarming surges in cases - mostly in the South and West - continues to raise fears that the outbreak is spiraling out of control and that hard-won progress against the scourge is slipping away because of resistance among many Americans to wearing masks and keeping their distance from others. 

Confirming predictions that the easing of state lockdowns over the past month and a half would lead to a comeback by the virus, cases surpassed 100,000 in Florida, hospitalizations are rising dramatically in Texas and Georgia, and a startling 1 in 5 of those tested in Arizona are proving to be infected.