Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Warp Speed Adviser's Role Reduced In Biden Administration
Politico: Biden To Phase Out Operation Warp Speed Co-Leader
The leaders of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed will continue working on the vaccine rollout during the Biden administration, a transition official confirmed on Wednesday. But Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser to the government’s vaccine accelerator, won’t stay on for long. Slaoui will take on a reduced role as a consultant for four to six weeks before departing, according to a Biden transition official. Gen. Gustave Perna, Operation Warp Speed’s chief operating officer, will continue to control the logistics of vaccine distribution, the transition official said. (Roubein, 1/6)
Stat: Warp Speed’s Slaoui Will Stay On As A Consultant For Biden
Moncef Slaoui, the controversial head of Operation Warp Speed, will serve as a consultant in the Biden administration, he confirmed Wednesday. He suggested it would be a less active role than his current position, as the initiative’s chief adviser. (Florko, 1/6)
KHN: Listen: How Operation Warp Speed Became A Slow Walk
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal appeared on Diane Rehm’s “On My Mind” podcast on NPR to discuss the bottlenecks that have prevented doses of precious covid-19 vaccine from making it from drugmakers’ factories into patients’ arms. It didn’t have to be this way, she explains. (Zuraw, 1/7)
In other political news —
The Washington Post: Some Americans Won't Get Their Stimulus Checks Until They File Their 2020 Taxes
As the U.S. Treasury rushes to distribute second stimulus payments, many Americans learned this week that they will not receive the $600 until they file their 2020 tax return, a delay threatening additional hardship. (Long, 1/6)
