Clint Lamb
Those who have been waiting on the COVID-19 vaccine are about to get their wish. On Friday, it was announced that the Food and Drug Administration had cleared Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use.
The U.S. government has agreed to a deal with Pfizer that will supply the country with 100 million doses by March of 2021, and every dose will eventually be free to the public. It is considered 95 percent effective.
This is obviously big news, as many had wondered if the vaccine would begin shipping before the end of the year. President Donald Trump even pushed to get something done earlier on Friday, calling out the F.D.A. via his Twitter account.
While my pushing the money drenched but heavily bureaucratic @US_FDA saved five years in the approval of NUMEROUS great new vaccines, it is still a big, old, slow turtle. Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr. Hahn @SteveFDA. Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2020
Apparently, that was the push needed to get the ball rolling. Following the groundbreaking news, Trump released a video late Friday night discussing what he describes as a “medical miracle.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
Trump acknowledged the quick turnaround on creating the vaccine too. Getting this done in a nine-month timeframe is nothing short of incredible.
Hopefully this will be a big next step towards getting the country back to normal. Lockdowns are getting more strict in major cities, and people are struggling everywhere.
It is still unknown how long it will take for the vaccine to be readily available for the average American, but things are obviously trending in the right direction. This is undoubtedly a historical milestone that should be celebrated.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.
Reminds me of JFK telling people in 1961 that man would be walk on the moon within a decade. People thought it was ridiculous and laughed at him. In May, Trump said we would have a vaccine by the end of the year.
There is not an argument against what you just said, and I’ve been making the same argument. This is medicine’s equivalent.
A effective rate of 95 % for a virus that has a 99% recovery rate…. cool
It’s not 95% you don’t die with the vaccine. It’s 95% you don’t get sick at all. Meaning 95% of the vulnerable 1% won’t die.
Survivability is 99.7% Meaning 95% of the 0.3%. Meaning the rest of us will be required to be vaccinated in order to possibly spare a few thousand lives. No thanks.
I’ll pass. If elderly people or at risk people want to be inoculated, more power to them.
You will be forced to take it eventually.