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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday the rapid process of rolling out coronavirus vaccine trials was driven both by President Donald Trump’s ego and the motivation of the pharmaceutical companies making the vaccines.
The Democrat made the comments during an interview on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning radio show. Its appearance came as Moderna Inc. and its competitor Pfizer Inc. recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear to be over 90% effective, at least for short-term protection against COVID-19.
On Monday, President Donald Trump hailed Moderna as one of the two recent “great discoveries”.
“Another vaccine has just been announced. This time by Moderna, 95% efficient, ”Trump tweeted. “For these great” historians “, remember that these great discoveries, which will put an end to the Chinese plague, all took place under my supervision!”
Host Ebro Darden told Governor Cuomo he had spoken with people, including “people who claim to be nurses,” who said they “don’t trust this vaccine” and believe that he had been rushed.
Governor Cuomo provides update on coronavirus at press conference in State Capitol Red Room in Albany, New York
(Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
Cuomo said the vaccine was moving forward so quickly because of “money and ego,” noting that the first pharmaceutical company to get the vaccine would benefit hugely.
“You didn’t need Trump to tell vaccine makers that you should develop a vaccine. It has nothing to do with it, ”Cuomo said. Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, they all know it’s billions of dollars, whichever comes first. So it’s in their economic interest to get things done quickly, ”Cuomo said.
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He speculated that the president wanted to be able to say before leaving the White House that he “solved COVID because” he “would have” discovered a vaccine.
“No, that’s all BS. He did not do anything. It’s the drug companies and no one is going to trust it saying it’s a safe vaccine. But you’re going to see it play out, they’ll do what’s called emergency clearance by the FDA, ”he said.
Cuomo then predicted that the emergency clearance could take place as early as January, because “Trump will push them.”
“(The President) will say that we have cleared the drug for emergency use, and you could see that from January before Biden takes office and that’s why I’m working so hard that we have a process in place to verify what the FDA says before people start getting vaccinated in New York City, ”Cuomo said.
Fox News has contacted Pfizer and Moderna to ask them to respond to the governor’s accusations.
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Michael Bars, a White House spokesman, said Cuomo “didn’t have much understanding (of) the unprecedented public-private partnership ready to deliver a vaccine that saves lives in record time.”
President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed continues to expedite the regulatory process while delivering billions of dollars to a portfolio of companies delivering a safe and effective vaccine five times faster than others in the world. ‘story,’ Bars said in a statement provided to Fox News.
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“The recent announcements from Pfizer and Moderna regarding their incredibly promising and impressive efficacy data further demonstrate that the Warp Speed program is rapidly advancing on a successful trajectory for the benefit of millions of Americans at risk,” he said. he declares.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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