Biden Says He Would Take the Upcoming CCP Virus Vaccine If Scientists Approved It

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden arrives at the Allegheny County Airport, en route to speak at a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Penn., on Aug. 31, 2020. Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday that he would be willing to take a CCP virus vaccine—as long the vaccine was approved by scientists.

Biden made the comment during a campaign stop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The former vice president emphasized that he would like to see “full transparency on the vaccine,” and that he would like to see a vaccine as soon as possible.

“Pray to God we have it. If I could get a vaccine tomorrow, I’d do it. If it cost me the election, I’d do it. We need a vaccine; we need it now. As quickly as we can get it. We have to listen to the scientists,” Biden told reporters Monday.

Biden and other Democrats say they have concerns about the scientific credibility of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying they are vulnerable to political pressure from President Donald Trump.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Biden’s running mate, suggested during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she wouldn’t take a vaccine approved by the Trump administration.

“I think that’s going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump,” she said, adding later, “I will not take his word for it.”

President Donald Trump and his administration launched “Operation Warp Speed” in mid-May to test and produce a CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine before the end of the year and possibly by Nov. 1, before the elections.

According to the official fact sheet, “Operation Warp Speed (OWS) aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021, as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (collectively known as countermeasures).”

Meanwhile, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an Aug. 27 letter that a key hurdle to the distribution of what could potentially be hundreds of millions of vaccine doses meant for nationwide distribution was the time it takes to obtain new permits and licenses for distribution sites.

“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities,” he wrote, adding, “and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020.”

Redfield said that as federal health agencies are rapidly preparing to surge vaccine distribution across the country, they have partnered with McKesson Corporation on logistics. The company is expected to begin sending permit applications to state licensing agencies on a mass scale “in the near future,” which may include applying for relevant business and building permits.

“The normal time required to obtain these permits presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program,” Redfield wrote, adding that states may be asked to waive certain requirements to accelerate the process.

“The requirements you may be asked to waive in order to expedite vaccine distribution will not compromise the safety or integrity of the products being distributed,” he insisted, adding that fast-tracking the permits will be “critical to this public health effort to mitigate the threat presented by COVID-19.”

The CCP virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has so far been attributed to the deaths of around 189,000 Americans, according a Johns Hopkins University tally.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.