The Election is Over But the Pandemic is Not
About 53,000 people were hospitalized for coronavirus on Thursday in the United States and deaths were over 1,000 for the fourth day in a row as the country broke its record for the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day on Friday, with 128,000 additional new infections, according to the Washington Post.
In light of the alarming spike, some state and local governments across the nation are implementing new restrictions - such as out of state travel testing requirements, gathering limitations, and the shutting down of businesses.
All towards combating the surging virus within an already pandemic crippled economy.
Political Rush for a Coronavirus Vaccine
Meanwhile, the outgoing president who just recently lost the election to the Biden-Harris camp appears unconcerned, "Case levels are high, but a lot of the case levels are high because of the fact that we have the best testing program anywhere in the world. We have developed the most and the best test, and we test far more than any other country, so it shows, obviously, more cases. This administration will not go into a lockdown. Hopefully, whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be, I guess time will tell, but I can tell you this administration will not go to a lockdown."
Trump has also touted the coronavirus vaccine announced on Monday by US-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer — the same company which was forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of US dollars in legal settlements to several Nigerian families as financial compensation for conducting an allegedly illegal clinical trial of meningitis drugs in 1996 on around 200 children in Kano.
Many of these children consequently ended up paralysed from the trials and four children even died.
Pfizer Has a Track Record to Look Into
"Pfizer announced on Monday that its China virus vaccine is more than 90% effective. This far exceeds any and all expectations. Nobody thought that they would get to that level, and we have others coming which we think will be at an equal level. Maybe more, if that's possible. So, the Governor, Governor Cuomo will have to let us know when he is ready for it. Otherwise, we can't be delivering it (vaccine doses, ed) to a state that won't be giving it to its people immediately. And I know many -- I know the people of New York very well. I know they want it, so the Governor would let us know when he's ready. "
Experts heed caution as much remains unknown about the safety of this vaccine for the virus which has already claimed over 200,000 lives in the US.
In addition, the vaccine's efficiency is as yet unproven as the company has not released full details on its preliminary analysis and many believe it necessary to have "independent and unvested eyes" thoroughly scrutinize the findings before it is administered to the general public.
