should coordinate portfolios with other countries and non-government vaccine accelerators, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Given the breadth of pathogens of concern, the U.S. must invest in a portfolio for a range of pathogens with pandemic potential This plan is necessary but insufficient because it is specific to COVID. This is the thrust of Biden’s $5 billion Next Gen initiative to develop more durable and variant-proof vaccines and therapeutics. must continue to invest in basic virology, immunology, and vaccinology for pathogens with pandemic potential. Absent these scientific advances, Warp Speed would not have been able to achieve such a rapid delivery date. In 2020, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna reaped the reward of years of coronavirus research, mRNA delivery platforms, and protein stabilization techniques. became a front runner in the global race for a vaccine in no small part due to robust public support for science, which is a legacy of Vannevar Bush, the director of scientific research and development during the Second World War, and his vision for postwar America. We cannot assume that a warp speed-like program will work again in the same way with a different pathogen.Ĭrash programs can apply new science, but they do not generate it. The U.S. It is important to learn the right lessons going forward. Warp Speed demonstrated what government can do, but it was time-limited and COVID-specific. It committed to parallel procurement at risk and supported clinical trials, manufacturing, supply chains, and distribution to get vaccines across the finish line. It gave competent leaders an enormous budget, political cover, and interagency authority. Warp Speed harnessed the full power of the federal government. It was a galvanizing moment when everyone stepped outside of what was expected to do what was required. The FDA authorized two vaccines for use in 11 months–a tenth of the average development time for a new vaccine. Some might ask: “Why? Look at what we did with Operation Warp Speed.” That program was a stunning success. must build a pipeline that can deliver the medicine we need when we need it. Pandemic preparedness requires the type of investment that affords a wartime readiness posture.ĭuring the upcoming period of “peacetime preparedness,” one issue demands sustained focus: The U.S. Governments may not think of pandemics as a security issue, but a problem that kills millions, costs trillions, crosses borders, and erodes the custodial function of the state is the definition of a security issue. As the title suggests, the report compares fighting a pandemic to fighting a war.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |