The Federal Government cannot sit idly by while a safe and effective vaccine is denied to the American people based on nothing more than bureaucratic line-toeing.

The UK approved the AstraZeneca vaccine on December 30 and millions of people have now received the vaccine that has been shown to prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations with near-100% efficacy and to be 70% effective at preventing the main variant of the disease entirely.

The EU-equivalent of the FDA has now approved the vaccine in Europe and The World Health Organization has recommended it for use in all countries. there remain no serious concerns about the vaccine’s safety or efficacy after extensive trials and now public use.

The U.S. helped fund the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine and secured 300 million doses of the vaccine months ago. The vaccine is relatively easy to ship and store, and very inexpensive to produce. The only barrier to starting distribution is regulatory approval — something the FDA “projects” it will do in April. It is unclear what the FDA expects (or indeed doesn’t expect) to find that so many other countries missed. The cost is the 2,000+ Americans who will die each and every day we wait.

Many object that AstraZeneca has not applied for Emergency Use Authorization, but that itself is likely a product of a political decision not to rely on foreign trial data. No matter the reason, an application wouldn't change the overwhelming evidence from this vaccine's actual use around the world. It is safe. It is effective. The virus is deadly. 

There is no legal obstacle to immediate approval that isn’t worth hurdling. Congress can override the FDA with a two-sentence bill. The President can attempt to do so by executive order. The FDA can amend or violate its own processes. Whatever legal consequences come pale in comparison to the staggering death toll America faces. Someone needs the courage to act. The signatories of this petition urge them to do so. Now.