A new report published Monday revealed that the Trump administration rejected additional vaccine doses offered by Pfizer, and now there may not be additional doses available until next summer.
According to The New York Times, “Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. government additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to people familiar with the matter. Now Pfizer may not be able provide more of its vaccine to the United States until next June because of its commitments to other countries, they said.”
A safe and effective vaccine is key to getting life back to normal, and Trump’s refusal to secure as many doses as possible means more Americans will be at risk for a longer period of time.
More via The New York Times:
Asked if the Trump administration had missed a crucial chance over the summer to snap up more doses for Americans, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said, “We are confident that we will have 100 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as agreed to in our contract, and beyond that, we have five other vaccine candidates.”
In a statement, Pfizer said that “any additional doses beyond the 100 million are subject to a separate and mutually acceptable agreement,” and that “the company is not able to comment on any confidential discussions that may be taking place with the U.S. government.”
Since the Pfizer vaccine requires two injections, the 100 million doses the Trump administration is bragging about will only cover 50 million Americans – far short of the number health experts believe is needed to quash the virus for good.
In other words, Trump’s so-called Operation Warp Speed turned out to be nothing more than a fancy slogan slapped on the back of a truck without a competent driver.
As Philip Rucker of The Washington Post pointed out, Trump’s effort to paint his administration’s vaccine operation as a success has basically fallen apart amid this new reporting.
Trump thought ‘Operation Warp Speed’ would be his great success story, but he appears to have single-handedly delayed the vaccine. pic.twitter.com/Xrp3hONvXX
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 8, 2020
Trump has botched every aspect of the COVID response
Republicans often whine about lockdown restrictions and mask mandates, but what they seem to forget is that failing to wear a mask and limit social gatherings will only make it more likely that these measures continue.
By refusing to lead by example and urge his supporters to follow these simple steps to slow the spread of the virus, Trump has only extended the amount of time that Americans are denied their normal way of life.
In fact, the president’s rejection of science has made the United States the epicenter of the virus and caused tens of thousands of needless deaths.
Now, Trump’s refusal to secure as many doses of the vaccine as possible early on will likely prolong the nationwide vaccination effort, meaning that it will be that much longer before Americans can return to their pre-COVID lives.
Donald Trump was never qualified to be president of the United States. This public health crisis, and his stunningly incompetent response to it, have only confirmed that.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
- Bernie Sanders Praises Biden For Making The Government Work For Middle Class Americans - Tue, Mar 16th, 2021
- John Fetterman Calls GOP A Disgrace For Voting To Overturn The Election But Opposing COVID Relief - Tue, Mar 16th, 2021
- Trump Tower Chicago Is Under Investigation For Using Vaccines Meant For Minority Communities - Tue, Mar 16th, 2021
