States Want to Approve COVID-19 Vaccines Themselves. Will That Lead to More Trust —Or Less?

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine—and fast—has been a main focus in the fight against the coronavirus. But when a vaccine is ultimately made available to the American public, California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference last week, another factor will come into play: what he called the “speed of trust.” “You have to have confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine, confidence that we’re not rushing to judgment in terms of its distribution and its accessibility,” said Newsom. His comments came while announcing that his state is convening a scientific review panel to double-check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s data regarding any eventual coronavirus vaccine before it is available to Californians. In the following days, leaders in Washington, Oregon and Nevada announced that they were joining California’s team; New York laid out a similar plan in September. Leaders in these states view the move as a way to ensure whatever COVID-19 vaccine eventually arrives is safe and effective for their residents—a potential counter to fears that the federal government, under the Trump Administration, is rushing the process for political gain. Those concerns are only growing as we get closer to the potential arrival of a vaccine—only 58% of Americans said in early October that they’d be willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one’s available, according to a recent STAT-Harris Poll, down from 69% i...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news