Enlarge / US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on December 7, 2020. (credit: Getty | Saul Loeb)
The Trump administration will host a “Vaccine Summit” today at the White House. But notably absent from the vaccine-centered event will be any companies that actually make vaccines—including the companies leading the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna, Pfizer, and Pfizer’s partner BioNTech.
The companies reportedly declined to attend or withdrew, which is seen as a snub to lame-duck President Trump. Senior officials for the Trump administration, meanwhile, said the administration decided to go “in a different direction.”
The Trump administration has pitched the unusual event as a way to educate the public about vaccine development, regulatory approval, and distribution processes and to congratulate the many players helping to develop COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The event includes a “fire-side chat” with top vaccine regulator Peter Marks from the Food and Drug Administration. There will also be talks with representatives from FedEx, UPS, McKesson, CVS and Walgreens, who will all help get any FDA-approved vaccines to people’s arms.
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Source: Ars Technica – Vaccine-makers snub Trump’s self-congratulatory “Vaccine Summit”