Lucas: Virus peak could come in June

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Lucas: Virus peak could come in June

Fri, 04/03/2020 - 14:41
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Congressman says vaccines might be tested in China first before United States begins human trials

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Vaccines intended to combat or cure the virus that has created a worldwide pandemic could first be given to the Chinese government to be tested there.

Congressman Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, said pharmaceutical companies based in the United States know “China will start lining people up and injecting them” without a second thought as to what the reaction to the drugs might be for their people. He said the same vaccine will need approval from the Federal Drug Administration before human trials begin here.

Lucas spoke to reporters from Oklahoma newspapers during a conference call on Wednesday. He said while the United States is working to “bend the curve” so as to not overwhelm the medical system, countries like China and Iran take a different approach.

Lucas said Iran is willing to allow the virus to run unchecked, even though it will probably kill “10 percent” of the nation’s population.

“We don’t do things like that here,” he said.

Lucas called the COVID-19 pandemic a “roller coaster” that officials believe could peak in the United States by mid-June.

Asked about support for the energy industry, Lucas said those who work in oil service jobs will be eligible for unemployment compensation and firms that keep people on the payroll will be able to apply for tax credits.

He said the feud between Russia and Saudi Arabia over oil prices was more likely an orchestrated plan to “kill the American shale oil business.”

The U.S. has little sway over Russia, but Lucas said the Trump administration is applying pressure to Saudi Arabia to end the crippling charade.

As for the origins of COVID-19, Lucas said the culture in China is far different than in the West. He said the Chinese people so mistrust their government’s ability or desire to provide proper food inspection, they demand to see the animal they plan to eat alive before they purchase it.

Many believe the virus started in the “wet markets” of Wuhan, China, where animals are stacked on top of one another in cages. Lucas said that is the prevailing thought, but said the U.S. knows there was “some very interesting research” being conducted by the Chinese government in labs near Wuhan. He said it will “take time to get to the bottom of it.”

The congressman predicted the American people will demand that the manufacturing of medicines now done in China will be relocated to the U.S.

Lucas said the pandemic brought back memories of his grandparents telling him about the 1918 Spanish Flu. The event shut down the nation for three weeks and attacked the young, where as COVID-19 is more dangerous to the elderly and those with underlying health issues such as heart disease and diabetes.

Lucas said medical experts believe most infected with the virus will recover, however, about 1.5 percent will die from COVID-19.

“In a nation with more than 300 million people, that’s still a lot of people,” he said.