'Will not trust him': Kamala Harris on Donald Trump's pre-election vaccine

Democrat's vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Saturday said that if a vaccine for COVID-19 is available before November's election, she would not take President Trump's word on its safety and efficacy.

Trump administration has been under scrutiny over its handling of the virus which has sparked fears of his government rushing the vaccine research to release it before the elections.

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"I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of (a vaccine)," Harris told CNN.

"I will not take his word for it."

The head of the US Food and Drug Administration recently claimed that a COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out in the US before completing its trials.

In an interview with The Financial Times on Sunday, Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of FDA said that he was ready to allow “emergency use” for a coronavirus vaccine, even before stage 3 of the human trials come to a close.

Hahn added that the “benefit outweighs the risk in a public health emergency”, as the US nears 6 million cases.

Many analysts believe that Trump wants to fast track a vaccine before the upcoming November elections to sway the vote in his favour. Medical professionals are also wary of the risks posed by using an untested vaccine.

Currently, Trump’s Operation Warp Speed is underway, which a public-private partnership to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

However, on Monday, The White House said that "no one is pressuring the FDA to do anything" after reports said there is increasing pressure on the agency to pass the coronavirus vaccine ahead of the US election to be held on November 3.

"The priority here is saving lives," White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said.

Meanwhile drugmaker Pfizer said it should know by the end of October whether the coronavirus vaccine it is developing with BioNTech is safe and effective. The drugmaker said that it will seek approval immediately if trial results show positive results.

Pfizer and Moderna had begun final phase-3 clinical trials on July 27 with the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) likely to give emergency use approval for critically ill patients to allow an early release to the public.

US infections diseases expert Anthony Fauci said that initial results could come in "November or December."