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THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY IN AMERICA TODAY: @realdonaldtrump is pushing government scientists to back a #COVID19 vaccine before the election, even if it's not ready. As a doctor, I'm happy we're making progress, but this is VERY dangerous. Here's why: 1/9 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/us/politics/coronavirus-vaccine.html
We can't let politics push aside science. A safe, effective & deliverable vaccine against #SARSCoV2 would be a game changer. But we must know it really *is* safe -- both in the short term & long term. A vaccine that isn’t ready for prime time will create even more crises! (2/9)
Assuming a #COVID19 vaccine really does work without major side effects, there are other considerations: We must know how it will be administered to individuals & communities, who gets it, why people need it, etc. Otherwise: chaos & misinformation will ensue. (3/9)
If, as reported, the President’s son-in-law plays an outsized role in the vaccine development process, a rollout of a safe, effective vaccine could suffer the same fate as the still-nonexistent national testing plan he "led." (4/9) https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07/how-jared-kushners-secret-testing-plan-went-poof-into-thin-air
Which raises a key point: We still need testing & tracing! The possible emergence of an eventual vaccine wouldn't exempt the White House from doing the hard work it's ignored for months. As we wait for a vaccine, thousands are still getting sick (or worse) every day. (5/9)
The Administration’s lazy & incompetent response to #COVID19 made the #pandemic worse than it needed to be, resulting in >150K deaths and >4.5 million sick people in less than 6 months. A lazy, careless and incompetent vaccine plan would lead to *additional* suffering. (6/9)
Another point to consider: @realdonaldtrump tried to defer much of the work in testing & treating #COVID19 to the states. Would that be his plan for a vaccine? We'll need a national vaccination plan. No more every-state-for-itself, which created chaos & confusion. (7/9)
Here's what else a rushed vaccine would do to set us back: embolden Anti-Vaxxers. There are already way too many people looking for a reason to discount or reject the utility of vaccines. If @realdonaldtrump politicizes and poisons this process, that number will only go up. (8/9)
The bottom line? Science must rule. Not a reelection bid. Not a son-in-law with no medical background. If we get this vaccine right, we can more quickly assume a lifestyle similar to our pre- #pandemic selves, save many lives & reduce pain & suffering.
Let science rule. (/END.)
Let science rule. (/END.)
