The Trump administration is placing the COVID-19 vaccine at risk by aligning its release with the campaign calendar, Democratic candidate Joe Biden said in a Wednesday speech.
“Scientific breakthroughs don’t care about calendars any more than the virus does,” Biden said. “[Vaccines] timing, approval, and distribution should never ever be distorted by political considerations.”
“They should be determined by science and safety alone,” he added.
Biden’s remarks come as ongoing fears that the Trump administration will approve a COVID-19 vaccine before data shows it is safe and effective are coming to a head. Those concerns are borne out by substantial evidence showing that the federal government is advising states to be ready to distribute the inoculation by late next month.
“I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump,” Biden added.
The Democratic candidate reiterated a demand he made last week to Trump and his administration that they commit to adhering to science in approving any COVID-19 vaccine.
That includes the Trump administration releasing the criteria for which a vaccine will be determined to be safe and effective, a commitment that the administration will only release a vaccine validated by a scientific committee, and that it will release and distribute the vaccine free of cost, and without political favor in terms of who receives the inoculation and in what order.
Biden has centered free access to the vaccine in his platform for responding to COVID-19. One pledge in particular, which would require congressional approval, would empower the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration requiring insurance providers to fully cover testing, treatment and vaccination for COVID-19 or any new emerging infectious disease with no out-of-pocket expenses.
At one point, Biden was asked whether he trusted the scientists at the FDA and CDC.
The candidate replied that he did, apart from “the one who took a leave of absence” — Michael Caputo.
“Not that guy,” Biden said.
I was on the inside at Astra Zeneca and still have an inside contact there (he was the guy who got me the gig and I trust him implicitly). Without going into detail, AZ is following all the rules of engagement and hope to re-start their trials soon. They’re not going to violate anything. Period.
Too much is riding on this for their reputation to be destroyed for numbskull.
Oh, please!
If you can’t trust a guy who wants to inject you with bleach…who can you trust?!
I’d bet that this is true for all the vaccine makers. Trump may want to hurry this along without the proper trials and approvals but these companies have already stated no release until all approvals wrt safety and efficacy are met.
There isn’t going to be anything ready by the election.
Except:
There’s a lot of money for these companies riding on something to be in circulation before November.
There are more than a few companies that are trying to be ‘first’ and some may be unscrupulous enough to cut corners.
Biden will put a stop to it, given enough time, and force everyone through the appropriate qualification cycles. But again, only one unscrupulous company could ruin it for all.