Scientists Worry About Political Influence Over Coronavirus Vaccine Project (NYT)

[Mike 03]

New York Times
Sharon LaFraniere, Katie Thomas, Noah Weiland, Peter Baker and Annie Karni
August 2

Operation Warp Speed has moved along at a rapid clip. But some people involved in the process fear pressure to deliver an October surprise for President Trump.

In April, with hospitals overwhelmed and much of the United States in lockdown, the Department of Health and Human Services produced a presentation for the White House arguing that rapid development of a coronavirus vaccine was the best hope to control the pandemic.

“DEADLINE: Enable broad access to the public by October 2020,” the first slide read, with the date in bold.

Given that it typically takes years to develop a vaccine, the timetable for the initiative, called Operation Warp Speed, was incredibly ambitious. With tens of thousands dying and tens of millions out of work, the crisis demanded an all-out public-private response, with the government supplying billions of dollars to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, providing logistical support and cutting through red tape.

It escaped no one that the proposed deadline also intersected nicely with President Trump’s need to curb the virus before the election in November.

The ensuing race for a vaccine — in the middle of a campaign in which the president’s handling of the pandemic is the key issue after he has spent his time in office undermining science and the expertise of the federal bureaucracy — is now testing the system set up to ensure safe and effective drugs to a degree never before seen.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/us/politics/coronavirus-vaccine.html

[tinrobot]

1. A rushed vaccine without the proper testing could create big problems.

And people wonder why some are hesitant to get vaccinated.

[Midnight Writer]

2. First time I ever agreed with Jeanine Pierro.

She said (well, actually she screamed) that she will not take a vaccine that has been rushed into use without sufficient testing.