Trump Hails Vaccine Progress, Calls for States to Reopen

He predicts 'tremendous' recovery
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2020 5:26 PM CDT
Trump Hails Vaccine Progress, Calls for States to Reopen
President Trump speaks during a coronavirus briefing at Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, Monday, July 27, 2020, in Morrisville, NC.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump hailed progress toward a coronavirus vaccine Monday, saying his administration's Operation Warp Speed had reduced development time by years. The project is a "historic initiative to develop, test, manufacture, and deliver a vaccine in record time," the president said during a visit to a North Carolina biotech facility, per the Hill. He was seen wearing a face mask during a brief tour of the Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies Innovation Center in Morrisville. Trump told reporters that a vaccine will probably be available before the end of the year, leading to a "tremendous" economic recovery.

Trump said Wednesday that Americans should "focus on maintaining social distance, maintaining rigorous hygiene, avoid large gatherings" and wear masks, when appropriate. But in what the New York Times calls "something of a return to form," he also called for states to reopen. "A lot of the governors should be opening up states that they’re not opening, and we’ll see what happens with them," he said. In a briefing in Miami, Vice President Mike Pence said vaccine doses should go to the most vulnerable first, especially senior citizens. (More President Trump stories.)

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