On the recordSeptember 14, 2020
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Roe for yielding, and thank him for gathering everyone together. Mr. Speaker, I will give a summary here this evening. Since the end of January, the world has been attacked essentially by a virus that none of us can see. I will say that since May 15, our administration has put in play Operation Warp Speed, and this is meant to save American lives. Mr. Speaker, $10 billion was allocated by this body to develop a safe and effective vaccine in record time. It has literally been today's Manhattan Project. It is combining the resources and the brilliant minds of private industry and governmental researchers in an unprecedented effort of cooperation. We have used decades of previous research combined with today's new technology and research to help us end the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective is to deliver 300 million doses by the end of December, early January, to the citizens of the United States. What do vaccines do? I think it is very important for people to understand what vaccines do. They stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies exactly as it would happen if you were exposed to the disease. After you get vaccinated, you develop immunity to that disease without having to get the disease first. We have two trials, two companies--Moderna and Pfizer--that are furthest along in their developments; 20,000 individuals so far have been accrued in the trials--half have been getting the vaccines, half placebo, and we need more.…





