At the beginning of 2020, our country was quite literally burning. Wildfires seemed uncontrollable and thousands have lost their homes.
It didn’t take long until a much bigger threat to American livelihoods and everyday lives appeared, and one that would take more than just their homes: a deadly respiratory virus we knew nothing about. The outbreak overwhelmed the public healthcare industry, causing the worst domestic crisis since World War II.
Police brutality and violent
protests only worsened the scenario, surrounding America with a sense of despair and helplessness. Our only hope to change something were the Presidential Elections, but even this process has led to massive chaos, misinformation and hysteria.
Has the U.S. President done enough to support our country during such a difficult, tragic time?
That is certainly the debate that has raging for some time now.
Regardless of the ongoing public and political malaise, we do know that we could’ve had a brighter future had his administration accepted Pfizer’s offer to purchase 100m additional vaccine doses for 2021.
Shocked? Let’s get into these latest revelations.
An irrefutable offer… refused
In one of the biggest breakthroughs of 2020, pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have developed a much-anticipated vaccine against COVID-19. Right now, we’re eagerly waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to approve the emergency use of the vaccine, which could mean receiving 100 million doses within the next couple of months.
Since this is a two-dose vaccine, we could have 50 million Americans vaccinated in the upcoming months. Considering our current healthcare situation, this feels like the best Christmas present we we could have possibly hoped for.
But what if we had twice more doses?
The initial contract between Pfizer and the Trump administration promises that the U.S. will buy 100 million doses initially, with a chance to purchase up to five times more. A few months ago, this summer, the White House reportedly refused to lock in another 100m vaccine doses, which would’ve been delivered by early 2021.
The news has just been reported by the New York Times. Associated Press confirmed the veracity of the story after several (currently) anonymous sources spoke up.
A pile of empty promises
This Monday, the Trump administration promised once more that the U.S. can accommodate any American citizen who wants to get vaccinated by the third quarter of 2021. While this is a very optimistic plan, there are still many details to check in order to make sure that such goals are also achievable.
Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, announced in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that the administration is puts in all the effort to ‘expand the availability of the FDA-approved vaccine.’ He also added that the White House still has the option to request 500 million more doses.
In other strange news, Operation Warp Speed (Trump’s own COVID-19 vaccination project) is planning to host a summit on Tuesday, to establish how the vaccine will be distributed across the country. Although this is one of the most important topics to be debated and implemented right now, not a single member from president-elect Joe Biden’s transition team was invited.
This is yet another brick in the wall for the Democratic winner of this year’s Presidential elections, after the Trump administration refused to cooperate for a smooth transition of power.
RELATED: Biden-Harris Team Considers Taking Legal Action If Trump Stalls The Transition
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer is extremely promising, showing a 95% efficiency rate. However, public health officials insist on the fact that this solution does not mean we should relax. Right now, the country is going through the worst phase of this pandemic and maintaining health safety measures matters more than ever.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, warns that ‘without substantial mitigation, the middle of January can be a really dark time for us.’
