Jason Smith: Vaccine is example of President Trump's success in fighting COVID-19

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

Once again, American ingenuity, determination, and grit are on full display for the world to see. In the history of modern medicine, a vaccine has never taken less than four years to develop. 

In fact, on average, the development timeline for a vaccine is between eight to ten years. 

Thanks to President Trump’s leadership Americans will soon have access to three novel coronavirus vaccines in less than a single year. This is truly a historic moment and the significance of this development cannot be understated.

However, I am not surprised. President Trump has been telling us for months a vaccine was on the way. The radical Left opposed him at every turn, casting doubt on his timeline and undermining public trust in any vaccine approved by his Administration. This is textbook Trump derangement syndrome. 

Each of these vaccines are more than ninety percent effective, compared to the Flu vaccine which averages between forty and sixty percent effectiveness. Not one of the three COVID-19 vaccines have reported a single safety concern. 

Unlike the fearmongers on the radical Left, I trust the Administration’s approval process and know that a safe and effective vaccine is on the way.

Millions of doses of the coronavirus vaccine are being produced as we speak, and President Trump’s Administration has ensured all Americans will have access to them free of charge. 

As soon as April, every single American who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. With all of this data in mind, there is no denying the American vaccine project was unequaled anywhere else in the world. We have President Trump’s Administration to thank for that.

The vaccine is just one example of where President Trump’s Administration has succeeded in the fight against this virus. The United States made critical investments early on in the pandemic in therapeutics, including remdesivir, that have reduced the mortality rate of the virus by eighty five percent.

However, there is more work to be done. The COVID-19 pandemic underlined serious vulnerabilities in our medical supply chain. We are far too reliant upon China to supply active pharmaceutical ingredients, generic drugs, antibiotics, and medical devices. Make no mistake this dependency could be weaponized against us. Studies have shown that more than ninety percent of U.S. antibiotics come from China. This is a national security risk that we cannot allow to continue.

For that reason, in October I introduced the Secure America’s Medicine Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to begin procuring critical medications the Federal Government should ensure are readily available for the American public in the event of another national health crisis. This legislation builds off a previous amendment introduced by me that passed the U.S. House of Representatives requiring HHS to compile a list of those critical medications for procurement. Additionally, Senator Hawley has introduced a bill, the Medical Supply Chain Security Act, which would require manufacturers to report imminent or forecasted shortages of life-saving or life-sustaining medical devices to the FDA. We must know where our vulnerabilities exist to better understand how to address them. My legislation would do just that and I will continue to demand Speaker Pelosi give this legislation a vote on the House Floor.

But now is the time to begin the process of moving forward. It is time to cease the calls for endless lockdowns and to get our economy growing again. It is time for Americans to back to work and to go back out into our communities without fear. There is light at the end of the tunnel.