Trump calls FDA plan to tighten guidelines for COVID-19 vaccine approval 'political move'

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that his administration may or may not approve a proposal from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would tighten guidelines for approving a novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine.

On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that the FDA would consider stricter guidelines to approve a vaccine in order to improve transparency and public trust.

"That has to be approved by the White House, we may or may not approve it," Trump said in a press briefing here. "That sounds like a political move."

Many Democrats have accused Trump of trying to fast-track the vaccine approval process in order to get one delivered ahead of the November reelection. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has recently urged the regulator agency to maintain transparency and independence.

Trump has promised that 100 million doses of a vaccine will be distributed throughout the United States by the end of the year. He said a vaccine could be available for distribution before the presidential election on November 3.

The United States has reported nearly 7 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 201,000 deaths caused by the disease as of Wednesday evening, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.