Leadership wanted

Re “White House blocks strict new FDA guidelines for emergency release of coronavirus vaccine” (Oct. 5): As a secondyear medical student, I see standardized patients biweekly. At each encounter, these actors ask questions commonly found from a Google search: “Am I having a heart attack?” or “Will I have to quit my job?” These discernment questions are not meant to test our diagnostic skills. Rather, we’re taught to say, “I don’t know” — a candid acknowledgment of our limitations as learners and the years of training ahead. It seems silly to tell a patient — fake or not — that you don’t know. But it teaches us to not rush the process. A strong doctorpatient relationship is built on trust.

Since the smallpox vaccine was introduced in 1796, vaccines have saved millions of lives. The COVID-19 vaccine has implications unlike any other in modern history, affecting billions of people and centuries of progress made by vaccination programs.

Yes, we all desire normalcy. And yes, a vaccine gets us back there much sooner. However, the Trump administration’s continued efforts to undermine its own scientific experts, especially when public confidence is low, are discouraging. Emergency approval should be considered for health care workers and our most vulnerable, but the process must include appropriate safeguards like collecting two months of safety data to effectively assess a vaccine’s benefit-risk profile. I’m relieved to see the White House reverse its decision to ignore the Food and Drug Administration guidelines, but it’s the latest reminder of the importance of voting for leadership we can trust and ones who will uphold the integrity of our scientific institutions.

Mathew Alexander, Richmond