FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn won’t confirm Trump’s promises on vaccine timing – By Adam Kelsey (ABC News) / July 5 2020
Hahn appeared on “This Week” and discussed the status of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Despite President Donald Trump’s claims that a COVID-19 “solution” would likely be available “long before the end of the year,” a member of the White House coronavirus task force, who leads the agency in charge of approving a vaccine, refused Sunday to offer a timeline for its final development.
“I can’t predict when a vaccine will be available,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, adding, “Yes, we are seeing unprecedented speed for the development of a vaccine. But … our solemn promise to the American people is that we will make a decision based upon the data and science on a vaccine, with respect to the safety and effectiveness of that vaccine.”
NEW: FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn stops short of backing Pres. Trump's timeline suggesting a COVID-19 vaccine could be available “long before the end of the year," telling @MarthaRaddatz, "I can't predict when a vaccine will be available." https://t.co/ZE8g5QL7d2 pic.twitter.com/FnvLjnGNPk
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 5, 2020
During a Fourth of July address in Washington on Saturday, Trump struck a more optimistic tone, both on the speed of virus treatment research and development, and on the impact COVID-19 is having upon individuals who test positive.
“We are unleashing our nation’s scientific brilliance and we’ll likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year,” Trump said, after earlier touting the nation’s testing efforts and claiming, without evidence, that “99%” of coronavirus cases “are totally harmless.”
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