New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is not willing to put his trust into the federal government when it comes to the approval process for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cuomo revealed during his press briefing on Thursday New York will conduct its own review of a coronavirus vaccine approved by the federal government amid fears surrounding the politicization of the process.
He cited a poll proving 54% of Americans say they would not take a coronavirus vaccine before the election.
Cuomo noted President Donald Trump claims the the Food and Drug Administration is attempting to politicize the approval process.
He suggested Trump’s political interest in the approval of a vaccine is more pressing than that of FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.
Watch his comments below:
Cuomo moved on to discuss the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
“Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend to New Yorkers, based on the federal government’s opinion,” Cuomo said.
He explained in order to participate in the state’s own review process, there will be a review committee headed by the department of health.
There will also be a group of hospitals and research facilities to determine if the vaccine is safe.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Robert Redfield said during his testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee he expects most Americans to be vaccinated by July 2021, as IJR previously reported.
Redfield anticipates 700 million doses of vaccines by late March or April, which is enough for enough for 350 million Americans.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) pressed Dr. Anthony Fauci on whether someone could contract the coronavirus through a vaccine, as IJR previously reported.
“Absolutely not. That would be impossible,” Fauci said.
He stressed the risk of contracting the coronavirus through a vaccine “does not exist.”
