Outgoing President Donald Trump celebrated progress on the COVID-19 vaccine at an event at the White House on Tuesday, remarking that priority will be given to Americans just as it is known that the White House missed "multiple Pfizer offers to have millions of additional doses.
Trump highlighted the "extraordinary initiative" that allowed the development of the vaccine in just nine months, thanks in part to the investment of the federal government, in an event in which the two pharmaceutical companies that have a vaccine within days of approval refused to participate. Pfizer and Moderna.
"We achieved something that nobody thought was possible," Trump reiterated in his short speech, in which he took
credit for the possible distribution of a vaccine before the end of the year
.
And he postulated that he will be remembered by his followers and detractarians as the one who made the "miracle of the modern era" possible.
["I don't think there are disturbances in the streets, but there is a lot of pressure." This is how the coronavirus vaccine will be distributed]
The president also announced that he signed an executive order to prioritize the distribution of the vaccine here before for other countries.
The measure seeks to
guarantee access for Americans
in the philosophy of 'America first' that the president has maintained.
It is not yet clear whether it will take into account the nationality of the residents during the distribution.
President Donald Trump hosted a summit on Operation Warp Speed to celebrate the possible distribution of the vaccine before the end of the year.
AP
Just hours before the event, it was known that the White House
missed the opportunity in the summer to acquire more than 100 million doses
of Pfizer, according to The New York Times newspaper and The Associated Press agency.
The Administration rejected "multiple" offers from the pharmaceutical company to reach an agreement for the second quarter of 2021.
"Pfizer went ahead and reached an agreement with other countries,"
said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner and a member of the company's board of directors, on CNBC.
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The decision could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until Pfizer fulfills other international contracts.
However, the Trump Administration says that between Pfizer, Moderna and four other pharmaceutical companies with vaccines in process, there will be enough vaccines for Americans in 2021.
Trump assured that the United States had achieved something unique in the world, although local governments in China have already begun their orders for experimental vaccines against the coronavirus.
The United Kingdom, meanwhile, also began on Tuesday to distribute the Pfizer vaccine, with a 90-year-old woman being the first person to receive a dose.
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The event also took place
before the FDA reviews and approves the
Pfizer and Moderna
vaccines
, which will first be evaluated by an independent commission of experts, on December 10 and 17, respectively.
The group of specialists will first review the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which the FDA considers meets quality, efficacy and safety standards to be authorized for emergency use, according to a document published Tuesday.
If the advisory panel gives the green light, the FDA will decide within days or weeks whether to give final approval.
The distribution of the vaccine has already begun with the so-called Operation
Warp Speed
.
Healthcare providers are expected to start administering immediately after the FDA acts.
This could happen, according to government estimates, before Christmas.
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Health authorities recommend that the first to receive it are high-risk groups such as the elderly in homes, people with underlying conditions, and health and essential workers.
The great absentees
Trump invited the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla and the CEO of Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, to the event, but neither of them, nor any other executive of the companies accepted the invitation or attended.
Pharmaceutical industry officials told NBC News that the summit was seen as an opportunity for the White House to continue to pressure the FDA to quickly issue authorizations for the emergency use of the vaccines.
The federal agency has been questioned twice for its alleged delay in approval.
Also, the meeting could be used to claim credit for the rapid development of vaccines.
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Among the guests were drug distributors, pharmacies and logistics companies such as McKesson, Walgreens Boots Alliance, CVS Health, United Parcel Service and FedEx.
The rejection of millions of doses
Under its contract with Pfizer, the Trump Administration promised to buy 100 million doses in a first stage, with the option to buy up to five times more.
But last summer, the White House decided not to reserve a second batch for 2021.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who heads the government's operation for vaccines, pointed out that several different pharmaceutical companies were being analyzed at the time.
"No one would logically buy more doses from one company than another because we didn't know which one would work and which would be better," he told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.
The Trump administration's decision could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until Pfizer fulfills other international contracts.
With information from CNBC and NBC News.