A vaccine to shield Americans from becoming infected with the coronavirus is emerging as the latest flashpoint in the race for the White House.
President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of “disparaging” a vaccine he repeatedly has said could be available by the end of October.
Trump leveled the accusation a day after Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, said she would trust public health experts and scientists over Trump.
Trump is aiming to have 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine in stock by January under a program he calls “Operation Warp Speed” that is working to accelerate development.
A recent CBS news poll says if a vaccine came out this year, 65% would believe it was rushed as opposed to 35% who would see it as a scientific achievement.
The Director of the National Institutes of Health and the US Surgeon General appeared in front of a Senate panel on Wednesday, assuring that a vaccine would be deemed safe before it's released to the public.
This comes as a trial by Astrazeneca had to be halted because a participant suffered a harmful reaction possibly related to the vaccine.
Both the Surgeon General and NIH Director also talked about cost, saying they'd work to make sure a vaccine would be affordable once finished.