Donald Trump administration asks State authorities to speed up approval for COVID-19 vaccine distribution

Ahead of the US Presidential elections, US President Donald Trump's administration is urging State authorities to speed up approval for vaccine distribution by November 1, which is, two days before the polls.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the federal government has urged State Governors to remove the roadblock to permits for distribution sites for use by the drug wholesaler's subsidiaries.

A letter by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, dated August 27, says: "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities, and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by Nov. 1, 2020."

Prior to this, the US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn had said in an interview that an emergency authorization for a vaccine could be appropriate even before the vaccine has completed Phase 3 clinical trials.

According to WSJ, an FDA vaccine advisory committee will meet on October 22 to discuss authorization of COVID-19 vaccines.

On Monday, Trump had announced that the vaccine for coronavirus being developed by AstraZeneca has reached phase three clinical trials in the country and is very close to being finalised for approval.

The phase 3 trial is being implemented as part of Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration to expedite the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the US is leading the worldwide tally of coronavirus with 6,111,485 cases and 185,674 fatalities. 

-ANI

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