Another person familiar with matter, who also confirmed the demand that the vaccine be authorized by the end of Friday, said President Donald Trump has been venting about the FDA chief since the vaccine was rolled out in the UK earlier this week. A White House official said they do not comment on private conversations but the chief "regularly requests updates on the progress toward a vaccine." The FDA was encouraged to continue working expeditiously on Pfizer-BioNTech's (emergency use authorization) request," Hahn said in a statement Friday afternoon. A White House official familiar with the conversation between Meadows and Hahn said it's doubtful the FDA commissioner would have actually been fired. Public health experts have been fearful all along that White House officials would put undue pressure on the authorization process and, in turn, compromise public confidence in the vaccine, a source close to the White House coronavirus task force told CNN.

Source: CNN December 11, 2020 20:08 UTC