Kamala Harris says she would not trust Trump’s word alone on a coronavirus vaccine

The VP candidate spoke after the CDC told public health officials to prepare states to distribute a vaccine as early as October

Kamala Harris has said that she would not trust President Trump’s word alone if a coronavirus vaccine were to become available ahead of the November election. 

Speaking to CNN in an interview that will air on Sunday, the Democratic vice president candidate said she believes it would be an "issue for all of us" if a vaccine actually becomes available in the next couple of months.

"I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about," the California senator said.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told public health officials to prepare states to distribute a vaccine as soon as the end of October.

Currently, three US vaccines are in the final phase of human trials. Typically reaching this stage takes around two years. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated that it would consider issuing emergency authorisation to a coronavirus vaccine if the benefits outweighed the risks.  

The timeline raised concern among public health experts about an “October surprise” — a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than science.

In a letter to governors dated 27 August, Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said states “in the near future” will receive permit applications from McKesson Corp., which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals.

Wires contributed to this report