‘WE NEED IT NOW’

Biden Says He Would Take Coronavirus Vaccine Even if It Lost Him the Election

The Democratic nominee did say he would “want to see what the scientists said” about a vaccine candidiate.

After President Donald Trump hammered his running mate for hedging on whether or not she’d take a coronavirus vaccine, Joe Biden said he would “absolutely” take a scientist-approved version. Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said last week that she would not trust Trump’s judgment on a vaccine’s safety or efficacy, echoing concerns from public health officials that vaccine developers are being rushed by the Trump administration to deliver before the election. Biden also expressed some hesitation Monday, saying he would “want to see what the scientists said.” But he then added: “If I could get a vaccine tomorrow I’d do it. If it cost me the election I’d do it. We need a vaccine and we need it now.” In his own press conference Monday, Trump demanded Harris and Biden apologize for their “reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric”—a clearly inaccurate characterization—and suggested that a vaccine may be ready as early as October. “You could have a very big surprise coming up,” he said.

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Emily ShugermanSenior Reporter

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