Published 11:03 IST, September 17th 2020
Trump contradicts CDC Chief on vaccine roll-out date, says 'He was confused'
Trump contradicted CDC Chief Redfield on the vaccine roll-out date and said the latter may have been "confused" while testifying to a congressional committee.
US President Donald Trump on September 17 contradicted the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine roll-out date and said the latter may have been "confused" while testifying to a congressional committee. CDC director Robert Redfield in his testimony had said that the COVID-19 vaccine for the general public likely would not be available until probably next summer.
Trump, while answering reporters about the same, said that Redfield made a mistake because he called the director after the testimony, adding that Redfield appeared to have been confused by the question.
"No, I think he made a mistake when he said that. It’s just incorrect information. And I called him, and he didn’t tell me that, and I think he got the message may be confused. Maybe it was stated incorrectly. No, we’re ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced, and it could be announced in October. It could be announced a little bit after October. But once we go, we’re ready," Trump told reporters outside the White House.
Trump is keen on launching a COVID-19 vaccine before the upcoming November poll as his handling of the disease has already been one of the worst. Trump, during the early stage of the outbreak, had downplayed the threat of the disease and had said that it would vanish by summer. However, that didn't happen but the United States did become the most-affected nation in the world and still is.
'Cannot trust Trump':Harris
Experts fear that the Trump administration would move to authorise a COVID-19 vaccine without keeping the safety and efficacy in mind so that the President could woo voters ahead of the crucial re-election. Democratic-Party vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris had recently said that she would not trust Donald Trump on any vaccine before November 3. Former vice-president and the Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden has also echoed similar views saying he trusts scientists and experts but not Donald Trump.
Updated 11:02 IST, September 17th 2020