Accepting renomination, Pence says ‘miracle’ of a coronavirus vaccine is coming soon
The United States is “slowing the spread” of COVID-19 and is on the cusp of achieving the world’s first “safe, effective” vaccine for a virus that has claimed the lives of 180,000 Americans, Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday night.
Pence spoke from Fort McHenry, the site of a storied battle from the War of 1812 that preserved the city of Baltimore and inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner,” to accept the Republican Party’s renomination for vice president.
President Donald Trump tapped Pence to lead the White House coronavirus task force in late February as the pandemic became apparent in the United States, giving the vice president a leadership role that could cement his legacy and his future political prospects.
In his speech during the Republican National Convention, Pence took stock of the pandemic challenge that has confronted the administration.
“After all the sacrifice in this year like no other — all the hardship — we are finding our way forward again,” Pence said. “Thanks to the courage and compassion of the American people, we are slowing the spread, we are protecting the vulnerable, we are saving lives, and we are opening up America again.”
The vice president has been heavily involved in the federal program to expedite the discovery, production and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. That program, known as Operation Warp Speed, has featured prominently throughout the Republican convention, including in a video montage promoting Trump’s response to the virus on Monday night and his effort to “fast track a vaccine in record time.”
Addressing a crowd of nearly 100 guests, Pence defended the president’s handling of the pandemic and argued that the Trump administration had “marshalled the full resources of the federal government from the outset” and directed “seamless partnerships with governors across America in both parties.”
“As we speak, we’re developing a growing number of treatments, including convalescent plasma that are saving lives all across the country,” Pence said. “Now last week, Joe Biden said that ‘no miracle is coming.’ What Joe doesn’t seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles and I’m proud to report we’re on track to have the world’s first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year.”
The question voters must ask themselves, Pence said, is who they can trust to rebuild back an economy that has been ravaged by the historic pandemic.
“As we work to bring this economy back, we all have a role to play and we all have a choice to make,” Pence said. “My fellow Americans, we are passing through a time of testing.”
While Pence was initially the public face of the federal government’s coronavirus response, his role in the crisis has diminished over time.
Regular meetings and press briefings at the White House held throughout March by Pence and other task force members were commandeered by Trump, both relieving Pence of the pressures of responsibility and denying him the limelight.
In May, Pence expressed confidence that the administration was getting the virus under control and suggested the task force might wind down and disband after Memorial Day – the holiday weekend many public health experts now believe sparked a summer wave in coronavirus cases throughout the South and Southwest, as states began relaxing restrictions and families gathered.
Pence’s remarks come at yet another delicate moment for the task force, which days ago approved new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dissuading COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic individuals – a decision that has sparked an outcry among public health experts who fear the Trump administration is attempting to artificially lower record infection rates ahead of election day.
Health experts say early widespread testing could have curbed the spread of the virus, but weeks passed before the Trump administration turned to private labs for help producing testing kits that could be widely accessible. Complaints continue to this day that rapid, on-site COVID-19 tests are sparse and often inaccurate, and that the wait times for results are often so long that the testing process has failed to serve as a more effective tool to help thwart the virus’ spread.
In recent weeks, Trump has said that the United States is testing too much, revealing more cases. Epidemiologists say that argument does not explain increases in the percentage of tests that come back positive — known as the positivity rate — the rate of hospitalizations, or the rate of deaths.
Pence touted the administration’s record on testing in his speech.
“We partnered with private industry to reinvent testing and produce supplies that were distributed to hospitals around the country,” Pence said. “Today we’re conducting 800,000 tests a day.”
“A country doesn’t get through such a time unless its people find the strength within,” he continued. “The response by doctors, nurses, first responders, farmers, factory workers, truckers, and everyday Americans who are putting the health and safety of their neighbors first has been nothing short of heroic.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Accepting renomination, Pence says ‘miracle’ of a coronavirus vaccine is coming soon."
