In a July 22 press release, Pfizer announced “the execution of an agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense.”
Pfizer, the biomedical company which announced on Monday that it had a COVID-19 vaccine with a 90 percent effectiveness, said later that day that it was never a part of Operation Warp Speed after Vice President Mike Pence praised the Trump administration for the program's creation.
Operation Warp Speed, the US government's initiative to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines "with the initial doses available by January 2021," was put into motion by the Trump administration this past summer.
"Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers," tweeted the vice president.
HUGE NEWS: Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence)
Praise also came from Trump's former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, who gave her "many thanks" to Trump. "his will be one of the most important action items done by the administration in response to this pandemic," she continued in a tweet.
The news about the @pfizer vaccine being 90% effective is great news for the American people! Many thanks to @realDonaldTrump and Operation Warp Speed. This will be one of the most important action items done by the administration in response to this pandemic. ????#USStrong
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley)
Dr. Kathrin Jansen, head of Pfizer's vaccine development, would later tell The New York Times that Pfizer was "never part of the Warp Speed [program] ... We have never taken any money from the US government, or from anyone."
“We have always said that science is driving how we conduct ourselves—not politics,” she continued.
This, though, appears to not be the case. In a July 22 press release, Pfizer announced "the execution of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense to meet the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed program goal."
"Under the agreement, the U.S. government will receive 100 million doses of BNT162, the COVID-19 vaccine candidate jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, after Pfizer successfully manufactures and obtains approval or emergency use authorization from U.S. Food and Drug Administration," the statement continues.
Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bouria also said that Pfizer was "honored to be a part of this effort to provide Americans access to protection from this deadly virus.”
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