White House Says Vaccine Distribution May Begin in December
President Donald Trump is demanding to know why the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer. The White House is seeking immediate emergency use authorization, as Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is set to meet with FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday.
Meadows requested the in-person meeting with Hahn over the weekend, while Hahn stated, for safety reasons, he prefers to hold the meeting by phone. The disagreement of meeting terms has already caused tensions in the situation as Hahn has stated the approval process will take time for the FDA’s scientists to complete a full and proper evaluation in order to make the “right call on this important decision.”
According to CNN, Hahn is prepared to explain to the White House staff and the president that the decision for rapid approval is not his to solely make. The FDA had already planned on meeting on December 10 to evaluate the data from Pfizer’s test trails. Trump is continuing to pressure the FDA to move faster on approval, and is reportedly frustrated at what he considers to be a delay in the delicate and arduous process.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.