White House faces skepticism over prospects for a vaccine

Could the U.S. really see a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day?

A letter from federal health officials instructing states to be ready to begin distributing a vaccine by Nov. 1 — two days before the election — has met, not with exhilaration, but with suspicion among public health experts, who wonder whether the Trump administration is hyping the possibility or intends to rush approval for political gain.

The skepticism comes amid growing questions about the scientific credibility of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and their vulnerability to political pressure from President Donald Trump.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany gave assurances Thursday that Trump “will not in any way sacrifice safety" when it comes to a vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease expert and a member of Trump’s coronavirus task force, said on CNN that it is unlikely but “not impossible” that a vaccine could win approval in October, instead of November or December, as many experts believe.

“And I would assume, and I’m pretty sure, it’s going to be the case that a vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was indeed both safe and effective," he said.

Also, executives of five top pharmaceutical companies Thursday pledged that no COVID-19 vaccines or treatments will be approved, even for emergency use, without proof they are safe and effective.

The concerns were set off by a letter dated Aug. 27 in which CDC Director Robert Redfield asked the nation's governors to help government contractor McKesson Corp. set up vaccine distribution facilities so that they are up and running by Nov. 1. Redfield did not say a vaccine would be ready by then.

Still, to some public health...