Former President Donald Trump is seeking credit for the rapid launch of several coronavirus vaccines, saying that if it weren’t for him “you wouldn’t have that beautiful ‘injection’ for 5 years at most.”
“I hope everyone will remember that when they are taking the COVID-19 vaccine (often called the China Virus), if I were not the president, you would not have had that beautiful ‘injection’ for 5 years, at best , and probably would not receive anything, ”said the former president in a statement released by his office on Wednesday night. “I hope everyone will remember!”
The statement came hours after President Biden announced that his government would order another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s unique vaccine to reinforce the country’s efforts to put vaccines in the arms.
Biden announced the new doses of J&J a week after revealing the historic partnership between rivals J&J and Merck to produce the first vaccine and after promising that the US would have enough first doses for each adult by the end of May.
There are now more than 62 million people in the United States who have received at least one dose of vaccine and almost 33 million who are fully vaccinated, according to the shot tracker at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 19% and 10% of the population, respectively, according to data last updated on Wednesday.
The two-dose coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were developed and authorized for emergency use while Trump was in charge. Moderna received funding for design and testing under Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, while Pfizer had an advance purchase contract. J&J, which was authorized for use after Biden’s inauguration, also had a pre-existing federal production deal made under the Trump administration.
Trump and his wife, who contracted COVID-19 last fall, are said to have received vaccines at the White House in January.