Trump signs executive order ensuring Americans get vaccine before foreign countries

President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to make sure U.S. companies prioritize the distribution of coronavirus vaccines to Americans first.

The president also said he is prepared to enact the Defense Production Act to ensure Americans have enough COVID-19 vaccines, as he praised his administration's response.

“American companies were the first to produce a verifiably safe and effective vaccine,” Trump said. “We will save millions and millions of lives both in our country and all over the world.” 

The president also said "we on the verge of another American medical miracle" as he hosted a White House event promoting the success of Operation Warp Speed.

“This is one of the greatest miracles in the history of modern-day medicine,” Trump said.

Before the event, the White House played a video of naysayers questioning whether a vaccine could get approved and distributed by the end of 2020.

The president said he expects the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine within days. And he urged governors to act swiftly once it's approved.

“The ultimate decision rests with the governors of the various states,” Trump said. “And I hope the governors make wise decisions who will decide where the vaccines will go in their states.”

Two other vaccines are also in the works.

Biotech firm Moderna on Nov. 30 moved to win emergency use authorization from the FDA for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna said its data showed their vaccine was 94.1% effective in its late-stage clinical trial, just under Pfizer’s efficacy rate of 95%.

The Moderna vaccine was developed in conjunction with the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed.

A key advantage of Moderna’s vaccine is that it does not need sub-zero storage like Pfizer’s, which needs to be stored at -94 degrees. The Pfizer vaccine also requires patients to receive two shots. 

A third vaccine is also in the pipeline. AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Nov. 23 said their jointly created COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be up to 90% effective and the makers claims will be easier to distribute.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Dec. 2 voted to direct that healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities will be the first to get the shots in the initial rollout – once federal regulators authorize use of a vaccine. The recommendation was approved CDC Director Robert Redfield, but governors will eventually have the final say on who gets the vaccine first. 

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet Dec. 17 to review data from the two companies.