President Trump claims credit for Pfizer's Covid vaccine; fearmongers on New York 'delay'

After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that he will set his own panel for approving the COVID-19 vaccine, outgoing President Donald Trump said, 'We cannot waste time and can give to states that will use the vaccine immediately.' Trump said that any other administration would have taken '5 years' to create and produce a COVID-19 vaccine. He further added that under his leadership, the administration has produced a 'great and safe' vaccine far ahead of the schedule.

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Trump threatens to withhold COVID-19 vaccine

Amid the ongoing face-off with the New York Governor over vaccine approval, Trump alleged that Cuomo is purposefully delaying the approval of the Coronavirus vaccine, while the other states want it. While Declaring his love for New York, Trump said that if the administration continues to delay the vaccine's approval, the whole country will get the Coronavirus vaccine by April except New York. 

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Trump promises vaccine in a matter of weeks

US President Donald Trump on Friday while delivering his first speech since his defeat in the US Presidential Elections 2020 informed that millions of Americans will be vaccinated in the coming weeks and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine will be available to the entire population of United States by April next year. This comes as welcome news for a nation that is reeling from record infection rates. While providing an update on Operation Warp Speed from Rose Garden at the White House, he said, 'The vaccine will be distributed to frontline workers, the elderly and high-risk Americans... in a matter of weeks.'

Donald Trump said, "Our investment will make it possible for the vaccine to be provided by Pfizer free of charge."

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20 million Americans will get COVID-19 vaccine this year

Elaborating on Trump's promise, Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui said that the United States hopes to immunize 20 million residents in December and at least 25 million each month in 2021.

Slaoui said, "We plan to have enough vaccine doses available for use in the US population to immunize about 20 million individuals in the month of December and another 25 to 30 million per month on an ongoing basis," Slaoui said on Friday. As of the month February or March, if we have more vaccine approved...we may be able to immunize a larger number of Americans on an ongoing basis per month."

Speaking about the final phase of clinical trials of the two Coronavirus vaccines which are being developed by Pfizer and Moderna, he said that the vaccines would be approved for emergency use in December. As per the latest statistics by Wolrdometer, United States So far has recorded over 11,226,038 positive cases, out of which 6,891,015 have successfully recovered while 251,256 have died. 

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