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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said she would not take President Donald Trump at his word on any possible coronavirus vaccine.
In an excerpt from the interview aired on CNN on Saturday, Harris said Trump had a history of suppressing expert opinion on the coronavirus pandemic and was concerned that that could happen again in the case of a possible vaccine.
“I would not trust Donald Trump,” Harris said, saying that she would be convinced of the efficacy of a vaccine only if someone credible also testified.
“I won’t take your word for it.”
At least 6.2 million people have been infected by the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which has claimed 187,833 lives, according to a Reuters tally.
With the administration’s handling of the world’s worst outbreak of the disease under close scrutiny, Trump has raised the possibility that a vaccine will be ready before the November 3 US presidential election.
But Trump has a history of disobeying scientific advice and some experts are skeptical that vaccine trials, which have to study potential side effects in a wide range of people before they can render a verdict, can be completed by the end of the this year or even early next year. year.
Harris suggested to CNN that Trump could leverage a vaccine, no matter how untested, to polish his image.
“He is thinking of an election in less than 60 days and he is holding on to everything he can to pretend that he can be a leader on this issue when he is not,” he said.
In a written statement, the White House said Harris’s suggestion that politics is influencing vaccine approvals “is not only false but is a danger to the American public.”
Harris’s comments come as several drug makers that develop vaccines are working on a joint commitment not to seek government approval for the injections until they have been shown to be safe and effective, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The unusual move comes amid widespread concern that Trump may try to pressure companies to make any potential vaccine available before it is ready.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
CNN said the full interview with Harris will air on Sunday.
(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Tom Brown and Dan Grebler)
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