CDC tells states: Be ready to distribute vaccines on Nov. 1,
Could PROVIDENCE, R.I. — the U.S. really see a corona virus vaccine before Election Day?
A letter from federal health officials instructing states to be ready to begin distributing a vaccine by Nov. 1 — two days before the election— hasmet, not with exhilaration, but with suspicion among public health experts, who wonder whether the Trump administration is hyping the possibility or intends to rush approval for political gain.
The skepticism comes amid growing questions about the scientific credibility of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and their vulnerability to political pressure from President Donald Trump.
White House spokes woman Kayleigh Mc En any gave assurances Thursday that Trump “will not in any way sacrifice safety” when it comes to a vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert and a member of Trump’s coronavirus task force, said on CNN that it is unlikely l but “not impossible” thata vaccine could win approval in October, instead of November or December, as many experts believe.
“And I would assume, and I’m pretty sure, it’s going to be the case that a vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was indeed both safe and effective ,” he said.
Also, executives of five top pharmaceutical companies Thursday pledged that no COVID-19 vaccines or treatments will be approved, even for emergency use, without proof they are safe and effective.
The concerns were set off by a letter dated Aug. 27 in which CDC Director Robert Redfield asked the nation’s governors to help government contractor McKesson Corp. setup vaccine distribution facilities so that they are up and running by Nov. 1. Redfield did not say a vaccine would be ready by then.
Still, to some public health experts, the timing smacked of a political stunt by a president facing a tough re-election.
“I think it’s almost a certainty,” said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. He said November “feels awfully early.”
Jha noted the FDA’s recent move to approve emergency use of against C OVID19. Last week, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was forced to correct himself after overstating the lifesaving benefits of such treatment. The CDC also came under fifi fire from scientists in recent days for quietly updating its guidelines to suggest fewer Americans need to get tested for the virus.
Jha said the stakes here are much higher.
“You want to have pretty good safety data on vaccines,” he said. “So I am deeply l worried that that’s not what is going to happen.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer questioned the Trump administration’ s motives.
“Too much of the evidence points to the Trump administration pressuring the FDA to approve a vaccine by Election Day to boost the president’s reelection campaign,” he said in a statement. “This raises serious safety concerns about politics, not science and public health, driving the decision making process.”