Image Credit: Jacquelyn Martin, Tuscon.com
Washington, D.C. – On October 6, the White House approved of new COVID-19 vaccine regulations proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One such regulation is a two-month wait period to monitor long-term effects of the vaccine. This regulation caused a stir in the White House, especially as the president promised a COVID-19 vaccine around election time. This regulation makes it impossible for the president’s promise to be fulfilled before that.
Allegedly, the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other senior officials questioned the FDA’s desire to change the vaccine standards. A senior administration official told the Wall Street Journal that the White House saw nothing wrong with the current vaccine standards.
The FDA hopes the public will “…understand our science-based decision-making process that assures vaccine quality, safety and efficacy for any vaccine that is authorized or approved.” The president, however, responded to these regulations as just “another political hit job.”
Regardless of the White House’s input, the FDA was planning to adhere to its current guidelines with the agency having contacted vaccine makers prior to a decision from the Trump administration.
In an email to the Current Affairs Times, the American Medical Association (AMA) said that in times like these, “…[the AMA promotes] a national vision for health that is rooted in evidence and data and that is independent of political ideologies because lives depend on it.”
Will science or politics drive COVID-19 vaccine efforts into the new year?
Image Credit: Jacquelyn Martin, Tuscon.com
Sources:
- “White House Agrees to FDA’s Guidelines for Vetting Covid-19 Vaccines”
- The Current Affairs Times exchanged email correspondence with the AMA.
Lead developer and editor; legal/political reporter for the Current Affairs Times. World traveler. Mac 'n' cheese lover.
