Washington, August 19 (RHC)-- Doctor Anthony Fauci, the U.S.' top infectious diseases official, said the government wouldn't make any future COVID-19 vaccine obligatory for the general public -- although local jurisdictions could make it mandatory for some groups, like children.

"You don't want to mandate and try and force anyone to take a vaccine.  We've never done that," said Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, during a video talk organied by George Washington University.

"You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you can't," he added, citing the example of the National Institutes of Health, where health workers can't treat patients without a flu shot.