Trump: "COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Available Before the End of the Year"

Joint Public-Private-Military Ultra-Fast Vaccine Development Project Launched
Compared to the Manhattan Project for Developing the Atomic Bomb in World War II

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump announced the launch of a super-fast development team to develop a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine by the end of this year.

On the 15th (local time), President Trump held a press conference at the White House to explain the vaccine development status, saying, "We hope to have it (the vaccine) by the end of the year if possible. It might even be earlier."

This vaccine development will be operated jointly by the public, private, and military sectors. Moncef Slaoui, former head of vaccine development at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), will serve as the chief officer, and General Gustave Perna, commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, will serve as the chief operating officer. This is why Secretary of Defense Mark Esper attended the event along with health officials.

President Trump described this project as the 'Manhattan Project.' He gave it significance by using the name of the World War II nuclear bomb development project.

The plan aims for government-related departments and private pharmaceutical companies to cooperate to produce 300 million vaccines by the end of this year or January next year.

President Trump also mentioned international competition and cooperation in vaccine development. When asked, "What if France develops the vaccine first?" he replied, "Whoever gets (the vaccine), I would be very proud." Earlier, the French vaccine manufacturer Sanofi caused controversy by stating it would prioritize providing the COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S., which funded its development.

When asked if the U.S. would have access if China develops a vaccine, President Trump said, "The answer is 'Yes,'" then added, "We cooperate with many other countries. We are not arrogant," and "We will cooperate with them, and they will cooperate with us." He also emphasized China's responsibility by saying, "The virus came from China, and it could have been stopped in China before spreading worldwide."

President Trump again expressed strong enthusiasm for restarting economic activities. He stated, "We have a great plan to prevent infections, but this does not mean shutting down the country for five years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.