"From late Q2 to Q3 next year" moved up to "April next year"
President Trump changes stance under pressure, saying "I think he was mistaken"
Emphasizes "Decision-making by experts based on science, not politics"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that enough doses of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to vaccinate the entire U.S. population could be ready by April next year, advancing the possible release date by about three months in just one week and raising concerns about the reliability of vaccine policy. Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the CDC's projection that nationwide vaccination would only be possible in the third quarter of next year as incorrect, drawing criticism that politics was overriding science.
According to foreign media including Bloomberg News, Robert Redfield, CDC director, appeared at a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on COVID-19 response and stated, "By April next year, 700 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready," adding, "I believe the entire U.S. population will complete vaccination between April and June, possibly around July." The 700 million doses correspond to approximately 350 million people, enough to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.
This statement immediately became controversial as it undermined confidence in vaccine policy. At a hearing just one week earlier, Director Redfield had said that production of vaccines sufficient for the entire U.S. population would be "possible only in the late second quarter to the third quarter of next year." In other words, the vaccine release schedule was reversed to be about three months earlier within just one week. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who also appeared at the hearing, supported Redfield's remarks, saying, "By November, 50 million doses of the vaccine could be available, about 100 million doses by the end of the year, and a total of 700 million doses by April next year."
However, the controversy has not easily subsided. Strong suspicions have been raised that the reason for Redfield's reversal was political pressure from President Trump. After the Senate hearing last week, President Trump held an unscheduled briefing and publicly refuted Redfield's remarks. Trump stated, "By the end of this year, 100 million doses of the vaccine will be distributed in the U.S., and much of it could be distributed even sooner," adding, "I called to say that Director Redfield's remarks were wrong."
Steven Hahn, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who also appeared at the hearing, responded to concerns that the development and release of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines could be subject to political pressure by saying, "We follow science, not politics, and expert opinions determine policy decisions." He added, "We will never approve a vaccine that would make me hesitant to vaccinate my own family," emphasizing, "Any vaccine approved by the FDA is one I would be willing to take."
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