Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Czar Makes A Host Of Promises
The Hill: Operation Warp Speed Chief Predicts Spring Return To Normality
Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui predicted Sunday that things will start to return to normal after the pandemic by April or May after a coronavirus vaccine likely is widely available. “I think we may start to see some impact on the most susceptible people probably in the month of January and February, but on a population basis, for our lives to start getting back to normal, we're talking about April or May,” Slaoui said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” (Budryk, 12/6)
The Hill: Slaoui On Minority Skepticism Of Vaccine: 'Nobody's Being Used As A Guinea Pig'
The Trump administration’s vaccine czar, Moncef Slaoui, addressed minority skepticism of the coronavirus vaccine, saying, “Nobody’s being used as a guinea pig.” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Slaoui on Sunday to react to minority populations’ hesitation with the COVID-19 vaccine, noting that the U.S. “has an ugly, racist history when it comes to science and medicine and Black Americans.” (Coleman, 12/6)
The Washington Post: Moncef Slaoui Says Vaccine Will Lead To ‘Significant Decrease’ In Deaths Among Elderly By End Of January
The leader of the White House’s effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine has predicted that by the end of January, there will be a “significant decrease” in deaths among the nation’s elderly, as high-risk populations in the United States receive vaccinations. Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, said he expects independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration to recommend emergency authorization for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech when the panel meets Thursday. The FDA is expected to issue the authorization soon after that. Pfizer’s vaccine is the first in line for approval in the United States. (Firozi, Whalen and Sonmez, 12/6)
Bloomberg: HHS Chief Sees Vaccine For All Americans By Second Quarter
All Americans who want to get a Covid-19 vaccine should be able to do so by the second quarter of next year, Health and Human Services Alex Azar said. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration due to decide as early as Thursday on emergency authorization for a shot developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, Azar and Moncef Slaoui, the head of the government’s program to accelerate a vaccine, expressed confidence that the FDA would clear the way. (Decker, 12/6)
In other COVID vaccine news —
The Hill: FDA Vaccine Adviser Says Approval Decision Could Come Within The Week
A top vaccine adviser at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the decision on whether to approve a coronavirus vaccine candidate from Pfizer could come within the week. James Hildreth, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, said that the agency will vote Thursday on whether to provide emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine and that distribution of the shot could begin the next day. (Axelrod, 12/5)
Stat: How Key Decisions Slowed FDA’s Review Of Covid-19 Vaccine
In September, as Pfizer and partner BioNTech were quickly advancing a study of their Covid-19 vaccine, dozens of well-known academics sent an open letter to Pfizer’s CEO with a simple plea: Please slow down and collect more data... Now, as the FDA prepares to convene a group of outside advisers on Thursday to review the data, and recommend whether the vaccine should be broadly used, many experts are voicing the opposite opinion. What, they ask, is taking so long? (Herper and Florko, 12/4)
Stat: Pledge To Vaccinate 20 Million In December Seems Unrealistic
Hospitals across the United States are preparing for a Covid-19 vaccine distribution timeline that’s well behind official government targets as they face ongoing confusion about the process for inoculating frontline employees. (Goldhill, 12/7)
Also —
NPR: Pence Says It's A 'Season Of Hope,' While CDC Officials Warn Of COVID-19 Surge
Vice President Pence traveled to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday for a briefing, saying America is "in a season of hope" and "help is on the way" with emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus vaccine potentially less than two weeks away. But what Pence heard from some of the nation's top public health officials was a grim assessment of the current state of the pandemic. (Keith, 12/6)
