US President Donald Trump will speak to the press on August 10, 2020 in the White House Brady Briefing Room in Washington, DC.
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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is considering the rapid follow-up to an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the United Kingdom for use in the United States ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report, which three people were quoted about the plan.
One option, according to the FT report, would involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granting “emergency use authorization” for the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca told the FT that it has not discussed emergency use authorization for its potential vaccine with the U.S. government. A spokesman for health and human services, which includes the FDA, told FT that any claim of an emergency authorization for a pre-election fax was “absolutely false.”
The latest revelation comes at noon from reports that Trump will announce on Sunday the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for Covid-19.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump made a baseless accusation that the FDA was obstructing the efforts of drug companies to test potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments for political reasons.
Chamber member Nancy Pelosi dismissed saying back on Twitter and called on the FDA not to follow for political pressure from the White House.
She added that Trump’s “dangerous attempt to inject himself into the scientific decisions of @US_FDA endangers the health and well-being of all Americans. “
The White House office, FDA and Pelosi did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The availability of a vaccine for the US presidential election could allow Trump to address his administration’s coronavirus pandemic, which has been widely criticized.
During his keynote address on Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden based his response to Trump on the public health crisis, calling it “the worst achievement of any nation on earth.”
The coronavirus has infected more than 5.6 million people in the U.S. since Saturday, roughly a quarter of the reported cases worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University data. On Friday, the U.S. registered at least 1,100 deaths, bringing the nation’s death toll to over 175,000.
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