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‘Warp Speed’ Head Expects Vaccine Approval ‘Starting Later This Week’
7 December 2020
EIRNS — Dr. Moncef Slaoui, put in charge months ago by President Donald Trump as chief advisor of the “Operation Warp Speed” crash vaccine development program, appeared on two Sunday talk shows today and was congratulated even by CNN’s Trump-hating moderator Chuck Todd for the “great, great success” of Warp Speed. Dr. Slaoui said “I expect them [the FDA Advisory Committee] to recommend approval based on the data I’ve seen,” so that vaccination with Pfizer’s vaccine could start “even later this week.” He said the vaccine is effective and its safety is excellent compared to vaccines in use for many years. Slaoui did not otherwise comment, nor was he asked about the delays in the FDA’s considering approval of this vaccine under cover of extra safety precautions and long observation of Phase 3 trial volunteers after efficacy was proven. EIR has shown that this approval could have been coming as early as late October, not mid-late December, and that tens of thousands of lives may have been lost as a result. The U.K. approved the same vaccine for use a week ago. The Warp Speed chief advisor acknowledged only that “we are 6-8 weeks later than an idea schedule” aimed at back in May in his public statement then; and that there have been small delays in production, not distribution, of vaccine doses. He said the administration still plans to have 100 million Americans immunized by mid-March, and all Americans immunized who wish to be, by mid-year. The all-important starting goal, he said, was to vaccinate healthcare workers and the elderly in care homes by mid-January, since “40-50% of all COVID deaths are occurring in those homes.” Slaoui said, “The virus is affecting minority populations 2-4 times more” than the white non-Hispanic population, and that the government had tried hard for full minority representation in the Phase 3 trial volunteer cohort, and for professional and community leaders to urge acceptance. He said that he was in favor of the placebo group in that trial being designated a priority group for vaccination. On another aspect, he gave his judgment that the immunization is likely to “last for years,” but said it had not yet been shown by data, how long-lasting it would actually be. Nor is it yet known how capable the immunized may be of spreading the virus even though no longer subject to being sickened by it. Again, his own view was that the viral load they could shed would be much lower. [pbg] |