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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on Friday (September 18) that he expects enough COVID-19 vaccines to be produced “for every American” by next April, and that the first doses will be distributed immediately after their approval later this year.
Claiming this is “historic progress” with three vaccines in the final stages of development and trials, Trump said at least 100 million doses would be made by the end of the year, perhaps more.
“Hundreds of millions of doses will be available each month, and we hope to have enough vaccines for all Americans in April,” he said.
Trump also promised to get the vaccine out at lightning speed, saying: “I think delivery will be even faster than most people think.”
READ: US CDC tells states to prepare for COVID-19 vaccine distribution as soon as late October
Vaccines are considered one of the main methods of stopping the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 950,000 people worldwide, including a world high of 198,000 in the United States.
The president, facing a tough re-election campaign, has repeatedly stated that he envisions a safe and effective vaccine approved in the coming weeks, even before the November 3 presidential election.
But that extraordinarily optimistic timeline was challenged by a senior government health official this week.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, testified to lawmakers Wednesday that a “very limited” distribution to priority groups, including first responders, could begin in November and December, but that the full implementation would take at least many more months.
“I think we are probably looking at the end of the second quarter, third quarter of 2021” before a safe and effective vaccine becomes widely available to the general public, he added.
READ: Democrat Biden Warns Against Quickly Releasing COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Trump Cannot Be Trusted
Trump’s Democratic election rival Joe Biden also expressed doubts about the schedule, telling voters Thursday in Pennsylvania that he does not trust Trump to present a vaccine without political interference.
“I don’t trust the president on vaccines,” Biden said, explaining that he trusts the government’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci.
“If Fauci says the vaccine is safe, I take the vaccine.”
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