‘We need to make sure that the science and safety is there’ so people can trust the vaccine: doctor

The conversation around pricing vaccinations and distribution is ramping up as more pharmaceuticals announce positive test results. Dr. Rob Davidson, a West Michigan ER doctor and the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Medicare, joins The Final Round panel to discuss his views on the coronavirus vaccine front.

Video Transcript

SEANA SMITH: All right, well, let's get to a big story that we're watching. It folds into the Uber story, and that's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, the outbreak here in the US. And for more on this, I want to bring in Dr. Robert Davidson. He's an ER doctor and executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. Dr. Davidson, let's start with the big news around the pandemic this week, and I think a lot of focus has been on the vaccine and the treatment front.

Just going through some of your recent comments that you've made, I know you've stressed the need that we need to find the right balance, right? Between the speed finding a vaccine quickly but then also balancing that with regulations. So I'm just curious for your perspective on where you think we stand in this process and then what the risk is moving forward.

ROBERT DAVIDSON: Yeah, I think the biggest risk moving forward is that we have a president who has politicized the whole process. So I think many people are very wary of the president pushing a vaccine in truly record time. And even if we had something by mid-2021, that would be record time for a new vaccine development, and he's talking about something being around by election day. It seems like the political motive is there. And we just need to make sure that the science and the safety is there to back it up so people can trust the vaccine when it's available.

SEANA SMITH: So in order to trust the vaccine when it's available, just what about the distribution? Because I think that is a big question going forward because we've seen what happens with the testing. We didn't have a national plan. Do you think there needs to be a national plan when it comes to the vaccine? And then if not, could we risk seeing a similar outcome to what we have been seeing playing out over the last several months when it comes to testing and the problems there?

ROBERT DAVIDSON: Yeah, I think this administration's lack of willingness to utilize the power that they have to-- you know, with the Defense Production Act with testing and with PPE, I think that is a concern for vaccines. We do not want to see states having to enter interstate contacts, like we've seen recently for the rapid turnaround tests, I think six or seven states, including my state of Michigan, to get a half a million tests each.

We can't have that with a vaccine. We have to get the vulnerable populations. We have to get health care workers and frontline workers first. We have to get that across this country. Because this, again, is a national problem that doesn't know state boundaries.

ANDY SERWER: Doctor, you're not running for Congress or anything, are you?

ROBERT DAVIDSON: I am not running for Congress, no.

ANDY SERWER: Oh, because it says that on your LinkedIn page. I'm just-- I'm curious. Did you ever consider that, or is that an error?

ROBERT DAVIDSON: [INAUDIBLE] Well, it's something I did in 2018, my first foray into politics in a very red district. And no, never again, I'm perfectly happy being an advocate for affordable health care.

ANDY SERWER: OK, all right, well, good.

SEANA SMITH: And doctor, just picking up on that, just in terms of what you think maybe the Trump administration and what Congress can do in order to better address this issue? I know the Michigan Governor, Governor Whitmer today, she signed that new executive order requiring face coverings be worn by children as young as two years old, also mandating that they're worn in child care centers and also in camps. Is that something that you think should be mandated here across the country? Is she really one of the leaders there on that front?

ROBERT DAVIDSON: I do. I think we need a national mandate for masks. We know that with mandates, enforcement is a challenge, and there will never be 100%. But when there is a mandate, the use of masks, the use of face coverings goes up. And we know that drives down transmission of the virus.

I have young kids in public schools. They're looking to go back in two and a half weeks. This is something I'm really pushing our administration here in our small town to make sure that everyone's wearing masks in school and that this is an expectation. But yeah, the president could lead on this, both with his actions and also with executive order.

SEANA SMITH: All right, well, Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and also executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare, great to have you on the show. Thanks so much for taking the time to join us. We hope to have you back soon.

ROBERT DAVIDSON: Thank you. Thanks.