President Donald Trump expressed impatience Friday with the Food and Drug Administration’s delayed approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
“While my pushing the money drenched but heavily bureaucratic FDA saved five years in the approval of NUMEROUS great new vaccines, it is still a big, old, slow turtle,” Trump wrote on Twitter, addressing FDA commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn. “Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr. Hahn. Stop playing games and start saving lives!!!”
The FDA panel of advisers voted in favor Thursday of granting Pfizer and Biotech emergency authorization of the coronavirus vaccine, but the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices still has to recommend it.
A meeting is scheduled for Friday and Sunday.
The president also expressed frustration that former Vice President Joe Biden would potentially take over his victory on speedy vaccine development, noting former President Barack Obama’s administration botched the development of a vaccine for the H1N1 virus.
“Now they want to come in and take over one of the ‘greatest and fastest medical miracles in modern-day history,'” he wrote. “I don’t think so!”
Trump concluded by summing up the motivations behind his presidency and his push to develop vaccines quickly.
“I just want to stop the world from killing itself!” he wrote.