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Isobel van Hagen
Dec 16, 2020
Mike Pence says US is nearing “beginning of the end” of the coronavirus pandemic as Covid-19 vaccines near approval by the FDA.
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Vice President Mike Pence was mocked on Tuesday after referring to the manufacturing of a Covid-19 vaccine as a “medical miracle.”
Pence – who leads the White House coronavirus task force – praised ‘Operation Warp Speed’ in a Twitter post:
“The development and manufacturing of a vaccine typically takes 8-12 years but under Operation Warp Speed, we have done it in 8-12 months and we are on track to deliver MILLIONS of doses before the end of December! This is a Medical Miracle!”
Critics immediately assured the vice president that we all have science, not divine intervention, to thank for the vaccination:
“A miracle is something that cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws,” one person commented on his post. “This vaccine was developed via hard work, intelligence, science, and perseverance. There was no magic involved.”
“It’s actually science, not a miracle,” another person added.
@Mike_Pence This is Medical Science!— polymer noyz (@polymer noyz) 1608066508
Others were critical of Pence – and therefore the Trump administration – for taking credit for the vaccine, despite their repeated attempts to downplay the virus, and the hundreds of thousands of Covid-related deaths in the US.
@Mike_Pence @WhiteHouse It’s called investing in science.— kim marsden (@kim marsden) 1608069507
“They downplay the virus for 9 months, say it’s a hoax, hold public rallies, half of WH gets sick — then they try to take credit for the vaccine. Unbelievable,” one person commented on Pence’s post.
This was not a miracle. This was science and hard work. And, just so you know, this vaccine would have taken this l… https://t.co/7gg2fTj1oF— 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻⚡ (@𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻⚡) 1608067444
Pence’s suggestion that the vaccine is a “miracle” rather than a result of medical science is perhaps not especially surprising, however, considering his record denying health-related science.
After he was put in charge of the coronavirus task force back in February, many were concerned with Pence’s history of climate skepticism, his aversion to the theory of evolution and denial of the risks of smoking (in 2000, Pence wrote an op-ed claiming that smoking cigarettes “doesn’t kill”).
As Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said at the time, which still seems to be the case: “Mike Pence literally does not believe in science”.