President Trump demands ‘evidence’ of vaccine efficacy amid CDC confusion
Amid changes at the CDC, President Donald Trump is questioning coronavirus vaccines and demanding drug companies prove their effectiveness.
straight arrow news
President Donald Trump has received the latest flu and coronavirus booster shots in preparation for his upcoming travels, the president’s doctor announced on October 10.
U.S. Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbavera shared this information in a letter to White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on Friday.
“President Donald J. Trump successfully completed his scheduled follow-up examination today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” Barbavera wrote, noting that the visit was part of the president’s ongoing wellness plan and included “advanced imaging, laboratory tests, and preventive evaluations.”
Last month, President Trump demanded that coronavirus vaccine manufacturers provide evidence of their effectiveness.
“Many people think this is a miracle that saved millions of lives. Some people disagree,” he said of COVID-19 treatments such as vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna and other drug companies. “With the CDC divided over this question, I want answers, and I want them now.”
President Trump, 79, made the remarks in a Sept. 1 Truth Social post after he fired CDC Director Susan Monarrez after one month in office over a dispute with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.
In July, the president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency and had visible swelling in his lower legs near his ankles.
Barbabella said Friday that Trump has received additional flu and COVID-19 shots, as well as a preventive medical exam, adding that Trump “continues to exhibit good overall health.”
In his first term, Trump led efforts to accelerate the development of coronavirus vaccines. But he has previously supported Mr. Kennedy’s leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to narrow the approval of coronavirus vaccines for Americans under 65, Mr. Kennedy’s firing of the Vaccine Advisory Committee, and Mr. Kennedy’s insistence on linking autism to Tylenol and childhood vaccines. Recent polls show that only one in four Americans believe President Kennedy’s recommendations are based on scientific evidence.
In late August, the Food and Drug Administration announced changes to guidelines for COVID-19 vaccines, ending emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines and authorizing Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax shots only for people 65 and older with pre-existing health conditions that put them at “high risk.”
The new guidelines represent the most severe restrictions on access to vaccines since they became available.
The approved details are as follows:
- modern, pfizer and Novavax Vaccinations were only approved for “high-risk individuals” and people over 65.
- modern The vaccine was approved for children 6 months and older and people 65 and older with underlying health conditions.
- pfizer Approved for people 5 and older with underlying health conditions and for people 65 and older.
- Novavax Approved for people 12 and older and 65 and older with underlying health conditions.
Reuters contributed reporting to this story.
