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Aaron Blake: Trump's baffling coronavirus vaccine event
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/03/trumps-baffling-coronavirus-vaccine-event/
By Aaron Blake
March 3, 2020 at 10:17 a.m. EST
<snip>
At the event Monday, Trump peppered the drug companies with questions that were some variant of, “How fast can you get it done?" But despite this having been a focal point in recent weeks, he still didn’t seem to process the fact that producing a vaccine means conducting months and months of trials before they can be deployed. He even at one point asked if the flu vaccine could be used to combat coronavirus.
After the founder and CEO of Regneron, Leonard Schleifer, said his company aimed to have 200,000 doses ready by August, Trump asked him, “That means you’d be able to use the vaccine that early?” He added, “So that process would be faster than John’s?” referring to another CEO.
After another CEO took a turn, Trump asked him, “So you’re talking over the next few months, you think you could have a vaccine?"
The CEO clarified that it would only be ready for phase two of testing at that point. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added, “Yeah. You won’t have a vaccine. You’ll have a vaccine to go into testing."
“And how long would that take?” Trump asked. The CEO said it would take a number of months and then head into phase three. “All right. So you’re talking within a year.”
</snip>
By Aaron Blake
March 3, 2020 at 10:17 a.m. EST
<snip>
At the event Monday, Trump peppered the drug companies with questions that were some variant of, “How fast can you get it done?" But despite this having been a focal point in recent weeks, he still didn’t seem to process the fact that producing a vaccine means conducting months and months of trials before they can be deployed. He even at one point asked if the flu vaccine could be used to combat coronavirus.
After the founder and CEO of Regneron, Leonard Schleifer, said his company aimed to have 200,000 doses ready by August, Trump asked him, “That means you’d be able to use the vaccine that early?” He added, “So that process would be faster than John’s?” referring to another CEO.
After another CEO took a turn, Trump asked him, “So you’re talking over the next few months, you think you could have a vaccine?"
The CEO clarified that it would only be ready for phase two of testing at that point. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added, “Yeah. You won’t have a vaccine. You’ll have a vaccine to go into testing."
“And how long would that take?” Trump asked. The CEO said it would take a number of months and then head into phase three. “All right. So you’re talking within a year.”
</snip>
12 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
vaccine. This would be available around 9 months. But it might not work, there maybe potential health risks. He doesn't ask risk rewards of trying this. He doesn't ask what resources he might bring to bear for these companies to speed up the process.
It's like they're telling him, you're the government, you tell me how fast we can do this (I.E. where's the money) and he doesn't get it. He doesn't understand the power of his office. Which is funny because if they told them all it required was to wave dumping coal waste in fresh water supplies he'd wave it in a second.
