The news: President Trump is insisting that pharma companies publicly demonstrate the success of their COVID-19 vaccines.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that disagreement over whether the COVID-19 vaccines work has “ripped apart” the CDC. He added that he’s been shown “extraordinary” data on the vaccines from Pfizer and others, but still left an open question if they are safe and effective. He wants drugmakers to present this information to the CDC and the public.
Why it matters: Trump isn’t giving COVID-19 vaccines a real vote of confidence. However, Trump didn’t go nearly as far as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has publicly claimed the shots are harmful. For context, clinical data published by public health organizations and in medical journals have consistently demonstrated that the vaccine reduces the likelihood of becoming severely ill from COVID-19.
More mixed messaging from the gov’t on vaccines will likely add to growing public uncertainty about the shots, and contribute to declining uptake.