Trump participates in COVID-19 roundtable

March 3 (UPI) -- U.S. health officials told President Donald Trump to expect a phase one trial of a coronavirus vaccine in two to three months during a roundtable at the National Institutes of Health on Tuesday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases touted the timeframe, but reminded those in attendance that it will likely be many more months before a usable vaccine is available.

"So that kind of thing is what this place is all about," Fauci said of the NIH. "It's kind of like the SWAT team of going out and responding to emerging microbes."

Trump, who made his first visit to the NIH, praised the work of the scientists and his administration to combat COVID-19, which has sickened more than 100 people in the United States and killed nine.