Pence joins DeSantis for roundtable to discuss latest COVID-19 vaccine trials

Vice President Mike Pence came to Florida on Monday to visit the University of Miami to discuss the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Phase three of trials for the said vaccine are now underway in the U.S. Biotechnology company Moderna is set to involve about 30,000 Americans in its trials.

Vice President Pence said on Monday that the federal government has committed ten billion dollars to help fund the trial.

Dawn Baker is the first person in the U.S. to receive the vaccine and while she is nervous, she’s obviously very excited. “It is very exciting. Um, I’m very anxious about it. I just helped with, they’re really, really good at good results. Um, and a lot of people are doing a lot of different vaccine trials and things are going on, but, um, I, I’ve been one, I feel so proud,” Baker said.

The trial will be conducted as s double-blind study meaning the participants nor the investigators know who has received the vaccine and who has received a placebo.

One thing that makes the trial different is that instead of waiting for approval, as usual, the manufacturers are going ahead producing vaccines so that they’re ready to go once final FDA approval is given.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, in the presence os the Vice President and governor Desantis promised that the vaccine would not be made available to the public until it is safe and effective.

“Our job at the FDA and our solemn promise to the people is that we will judge upon the data and gold standard we have at the FDA regarding the safety of a vaccine,” Hahn said.

They plan to produce 100 million doses by fall and 1.3 billion doses next year that will only be administered once deemed to be safe.

Vice President Pence said the 89 sites across the country will administer the trial vaccines to those 30,000 participants.