A Shot in the Dark Advertisement We got COVID-19 vaccines in record time. Why are HIV vaccines taking so long? Advertisement In March 2020, as a new pandemic swept across the globe, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci, MD, predicted that a COVID-19 vaccine could be available in 12 to 18 months. A year later, three highly effective vaccines are authorized in the United States, and over 95 million Americans have received their first dose. In April 1984, Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler predicted an HIV vaccine could be ready for testing in two years; 37 years later, we’re still waiting.