Biden Covid-19 adviser: ‘We will be ready on day one’
“We will be ready on day one,” Rick Bright, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid-19 advisory board, told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on Wednesday, when she asked about what they would do if there was no plan from the Trump administration for vaccine distribution.
Bright said they won’t be starting from scratch, as they are working hard to make sure they are communicating with health care professionals and others around the country, and getting a lot of expert advice.
“There is a transition plan and we’re translating that plan into a blueprint for action,” he said.
Bright did say that the idea the Trump administration didn’t have a plan was a good point.
“We’ve waited 10 months for a plan to be shared with the American public and health care experts on the vaccine program. We waited for a plan on national testing strategies. We waited for plans on ramp-up of production of PPE and other critical medical supplies,” Bright said. “We haven’t yet seen any of those plans. I don’t think those plans exist.”
Bright said he hopes there has been planning done “beyond dropping it off at a warehouse by the military.”
After that, there needs to be delivery of the vaccines to the health care providers who will be administering it, and communication within communities at all levels to ensure there is interest in the vaccine.
“The Trump administration unfortunately has politicized so much of this response, including the vaccine,” he said. “And there are many Americans across our country who are hesitant on whether or not they can trust this vaccine because of the political pressure that we’ve seen from the Trump administration.”
A lot of work needs to be done with the new transition team to make sure that confidence and trust can be rebuilt, to ensure that Americans take a vaccine when it become available and has been certified as safe and effective, Bright said.
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