Trump: Vaccines ‘all took place on my watch’

Moderna has received praise from President Trump after it announced Monday that the vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to preliminary data from the company’s ongoing study.

On Monday, Trump tweeted the Moderna vaccine was one of two recent “great discoveries.”

Moderna announced its vaccine one week after Pfizer said its vaccine was also over 90% effective.

Trump tweeted to “please remember that these great discoveries, which will end the China Plague, all took place on my watch!”

On Fox & Friends Monday morning, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said, “I think it speaks to amazing work of Americans all across this country, but it also has to be noted that President Trump, Vice President Pence, Secretary Azar, they made a leap of fate way back in January to invest tax payer money in Operation Warp Speed and we are getting not one, but two vaccines here in the month of November that can get to market very, very soon.”

He added, “It’s incredible, it’s something we should all celebrate.”

Operation Warp Speed is a partnership between the federal government and private drugmakers to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar said Warp Speed has put around $2 billion to support the Moderna vaccine.

Azar said Moderna’s vaccine was a part of “President Trump’s vision” on Fox & Friends Monday.

“This is a really a historic day. This is the vaccine that President Trump partnered with on January 13th, and now over 90% effective vaccine in one of the largest clinal trials ever. Now we have Pfizer, we have Moderna and thanks to President Trump’s vision we have been making both of those and four other vaccines at commercial scale productions,” said Azar.

Additonally, Azar tweeted that the vaccine is a “stunning result of President Trump’s leadership.”

Daughter of President Trump and senior advisor, Ivanka Trump, also congratulated the President on “this historic breakthrough” on Twitter.

A vaccine is anticipated to be ready by the end of the year. Both pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna are expected to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization by early December.

“We believe we’ll have enough for 20 million Americans to get vaccinated in December,” said Azar.