[mattkrause]

I realize that's probably what he (or realistically, whoever told him that) meant, but that's not at all what he said.

He's talking to a broad, panicked audience and anyone doing so ought to choose their words carefully. Something like "Great news is that we've already had safety data for this stuff, so we're going straight to efficacy trials!" would convey plenty of optimism without encouraging yahoos to do dumb things.