I feel compelled to respond to the half-truths of the rebuttals to my letter explaining the president’s vision and leadership in saving lives of our frontline responders and the most vulnerable in the country one year before the experts on CNN said was possible.
I will address the letter entitled a “Warped operation” in the Dec. 31 letter to editor. That letter is correct in that Pfizer did not take funds from HHS for the development of the vaccine but Pfizer took $1.95 billion that Trump made available for the distribution of the vaccine. The letter failed to mention that Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Astra Zeneca, and Novavax did take those development funds. As a result, America has numerous sources of the vaccine.
The “expert” I quoted who was interviewed on CNN said that it would take at least until the fourth quarter of 2021, at the earliest, before a vaccine would be available. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member and former FDA commissioner, said that the availability of this vaccine is the fastest production in American history. This is because Trump removed useless regulations and provided the funds for development and distribution.
Saving lives in 2020 is clearly a net positive for America. The bottom line is that we would not be debating these points for at least one year from now, according to the experts, if President Trump did not embark on Operation Warp Speed.
JOSEPH MENDOLA
Warner