Covid 19: Science must come first with vaccine, says former CDC chief

A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for science and trustworthy information to be at the forefront of the development and approval of vaccines against covid-19.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that a vaccine could be approved before the 3 November election,1 though many Americans have expressed distrust of a vaccine. Tom Frieden, who is now head of Resolve to Save Lives, a global organisation that works with governments on evidence based health strategies. was speaking on 15 September at a briefing organised by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

He said, “For a vaccine to work, it not only has to be safe, effective, and available, but also trusted . . . A vaccine is the single …