Dr. Moncef Slaoui, vaccine expert, delivers an update on “Operation Warp Speed” in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2020.(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:45 AM PT – Thursday, December 10, 2020
White House officials tasked with combating the ongoing pandemic are reassuring the public following several concerns being raised over Pfizer’s vaccine.
During an Operation Warp Speed briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Moncef Slaoui addressed reports of two British citizens experiencing adverse reactions to the vaccine. He noted that those allergic reactions, were not life threatening.
Dr. Slaoui went on to say he expects the FDA will recommend those with severe allergies to opt out of taking the vaccine until more research is completed.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui discusses vaccine efficacy at the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit: pic.twitter.com/fUeJRn6SRU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 8, 2020
In a statement, Pfizer said it’s working with British regulators to fully understand what caused the side effects. This comes as reports noted the vaccine does not contain preservatives or egg-derived products, which are usually the main culprits behind such a response.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar reassured the vaccine is safe to use for most people. He said he would even volunteer to be the first American to get the vaccine.
“I’ve made clear to the team, as I’ve made clear publicly to the media and otherwise, that I will gladly get the first shot, first vaccination,” Azar stated. “Just to demonstrate to the American people my supreme confidence in the integrity of the process, the quality of the vaccines and that I wouldn’t ask the American people to do something that I wouldn’t be willing to do myself.”
His remarks came after the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a poll, which found half of Americans are willing to get vaccinated with the rest of the surveyed population evenly split between those wary of being inoculated and the undecided.
