Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on his supporters to get the coronavirus vaccines according to the Washington Post.
Donald Trump said the vaccines are tremendously successful but slammed mandating them.
“The vaccines do work. And they are effective. So, here’s my thing: I think I saved millions and millions of lives around the world,” Mr Trump said on a Show, reported The Washington Post.
“I love our people, so I want our people to take the vaccines. But at the same time, I have to tell you, you can’t mandate it. You can’t force it. And I don’t think it’s going to be necessary because this thing is going to eventually go away.”
He said that America could have had another Spanish flu claiming that his administration paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines.
He admitted to knowing the number of people who succumbed to the viral contagion lauding his administration for playing a role in making the COVID-19 vaccines available earlier than expected.
“And now countries are using our vaccines, and it’s tremendous. It’s tremendously successful,” Mr Trump said on the conservative talk radio show.
Trump’s administration came under heavy criticism for its poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic which battered the US economy last year.
It is noted, on the day Mr Trump exited presidential office, the COVID-19 American fatalities were more than 400,000.
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For weeks on end, Mr Trump denied presenting a strategy to fight the infectious disease, suggesting that it would just disappear.
The Biden administration has termed the recent spike in infections as the “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” garnering flak for the phrase from Republicans and experts.
Holding back on mandating vaccines, Trump applauded his achievements in the war against the pandemic.
This is the second such instance in the last 10 days when the former president has nudged people towards getting vaccinated.
In July, he was booed by crowds in Alabama at his “Save America” rally when he recommended, they get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Experts have pointed out that the resistance towards vaccines is being seen among people who supported Mr Trump, who had not publicly championed the Covid-19 vaccines as a public health necessity.
Amid surging COVID-19 cases and a slew of new vaccine requirements following the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer shot, vaccinations are increasing in the U.S., and polling suggests opposition is dropping.
The latest Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index, released Tuesday, finds only one in five Americans say they’re not likely to get vaccinated, the lowest level since the start of the index.
The percentage of Americans who stand in hard opposition to getting the vaccine has also dropped to its lowest reported levels at 14 percent of U.S. adults.
The U.S. is averaging 900,000 vaccinations per day, up from 500,000 per day in mid-July, Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, said in a press conference Tuesday. The pace of first shots is accelerating, too.
The country has so far administered more than 14 million first shots in August, almost 4 million more first shots than in July, he said.
Mr Trump was vaccinated at the White House in January 2021.
However, he told the crowd: “If it doesn’t work you’ll be the first to know,” to a ripple of laughter.
Additional report from Agencies.
