WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS4) – Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette lead a committee hearing into how American companies are doing when it comes to developing a vaccine for coronavirus. The Democrat who represents Denver chaired the House committee with executives from five committees Tuesday morning.

She started the hearing a hopeful note.

“It is possible that a COVID-19 vaccine may become available by the end of this year or early next year,” DeGette said. “That’s a rare bit of good news in this harrowing time.”

“But while some public health experts are bullish on the development of a vaccine, we must remind ourselves that plenty can still go wrong.”

The committee heard from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer about where they stand in terms of quickly making a vaccine available. They all assured lawmakers they could safely make the vaccine.