President Donald Trump says Pfizer's denial of being a part of Operation Warp Speed is an "unfortunate misrepresentation."
“Pfizer said that it was not part of Warp Speed, but that turned out to be an unfortunate misrepresentation,” Trump said in a news conference. "It was an unfortunate mistake that they made when they said that."
Trump was reacting to a Pfizer executive's remarks from Sunday about the progress of the coronavirus vaccine candidate.
The president said that the coronavirus vaccine would be distributed to people by April, beating “any and all expectations.”
“It will be approved very, very quickly. If you had a different administration, what we’ve done would've taken three, four, five years,” Trump added. “It would’ve been in the FDA forever.”
The president also mentioned the U.S. economic recovery even after it was battered by the pandemic.
“The U.S. experienced the smallest economic contraction and the most rapid economic recovery of any Western nation, while healthy Americans have gone back to work and schools. We continue to spare no expense to protect the vulnerable.”
Is Pfizer a part of Operation Warp Speed?
“We were never part of the Warp Speed,” Kathrin Jansen, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, told the New York Times on Sunday. “We have never taken any money from the U.S. government, or from anyone.”
According to Pfizer and BioNTech’s statement, their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in responding to Covid-19 among those without proof of prior infection. They consider the development as “a great day for science and humanity.”
“I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said during an interview on CNBC’s Meg Tirrell on “Squawk Box.” “I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance in the last 100 years, if you count the impact this will have in public health, global economy.”
The statement comes as drugmakers and research centers race to produce a safe and effective vaccine to control the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 1.2 million lives across the world.
Scientists look forward to a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, while White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said one that is 50% or 60% effective is already acceptable.
U.S. stock futures rose as investors celebrated the news. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 1,646 points, suggesting an opening gain of more than 1,630 points. By late morning, the Dow rose by more than 1,000 points, an increase of 3.7%.
