“We will be able to distribute 100 million doses of vaccines by the end of 2020, and then a very large number after,” says the Republican president, campaigning
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, on Wednesday contradicted the experts of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and promised that he would be able to distribute 100 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year.
“We will be able to distribute 100 million doses of vaccines by the end of 2020, and then a very large number afterwards,” Trump said at a press conference at the White House.
Trump’s statements contradict the CDC’s own director, Robert Redfield, who this Wednesday at a hearing in the US Senate explained that the vaccine will be available between November and December, but will be distributed in a limited way to groups most at risk of dying from the virus.
In addition, Redfield indicated that Americans will be able to access the vaccine “probably looking at third … late second quarter, third quarter 2021.“
Asked about it, Trump considered that Redfield was wrong, stated that he was “surprised” by his statements and explained that he called him on the phone to explain that he had made a “mistake.”
“I think he made a mistake when he [Redfield] said that, it’s just wrong information. I called him and he didn’t say that, and I think maybe he got the message mixed up, maybe he said it incorrectly. No, we’re ready to go forward immediately,” said the president.
Trump said on Tuesday that the vaccine could be ready “in four weeks” and this Wednesday he insisted that it will be announced “in October”, “perhaps in mid-October”, “a little after October” or “in November, although not later than that.”
To be distributed to the population, any vaccine must receive the endorsement of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency that is responsible for approving the use of new drugs, vaccines and other products related to the public health.
Three Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca are already in phase 3 of a vaccine trial but have not yet delivered their product to the FDA for review.
Once the FDA approves the vaccine, authorities will be able to distribute the first doses in just 24 hours, Paul Ostrowski, who oversees the logistics of Operation Warp Speed (maximum speed), announced Wednesday to accelerate efforts to contain the pandemic.
