While most Republicans are still not convinced there’s a need to allocate more money to anything Covid related, those open to the Covid Shield concept panned the administration’s effort to date as disorganized and vague. Even now, they said, there’s lingering administration opposition to reviving the Warp Speed branding for a new Covid vaccine accelerator, for fear it would concede a Trump-era triumph. Republican lawmakers and aides counter that the White House erred in shutting down Warp Speed soon after Biden took office - a decision many of them interpreted as politically motivated and short-sighted. Opposition from Capitol Hill Republicans has frustrated Biden officials who note that the GOP openly touts the original $18 billion Warp Speed as a Trump-era success story. government does not have funding to do this.” “Our toolbox is dry because every company in America understands the U.S. in a “very difficult situation” as soon as this winter. “This is an obvious movement for the kind of partnership we saw with Operation Warp Speed,” Jha said, adding that the sluggish progress could leave the U.S. Developing the next generation could be a three- to five-year wait if there’s no significant federal funding to accelerate the process.
OPERATION WARP SPEED VACCINES UPDATE
It took nearly two years just to update the initial Covid vaccines. Jha said that the virus’ rapid evolution has escalated concerns over the absence of a long-term operation to ensure vaccines and treatments keep pace with the emergence of new variants. “We just need other choices, no matter what.” “We have no other pills in the pipeline right now,” said Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Some variants have also shown resistance to a second monoclonal antibody cocktail - leaving antiviral pill Paxlovid as the only major treatment that still works across the board. Recent studies suggest the newest offshoots of the Omicron variant are resistant to Evusheld, the main therapeutic designed to protect immunocompromised people from the virus. Meanwhile, there’s little appetite from GOP lawmakers and even some Democrats to treat the pandemic as a priority anymore, especially after President Joe Biden’s declaration that surprised even his top health officials, who have since gone to lengths to emphasize their Covid response continues apace.Īnd yet, warning signs continue to mount. vaccine researchers have sought partnerships with other countries like Mexico. Absent aid from the administration, some U.S. behind China and India, both of which have pushed forward aggressively on Covid research and approved the first needle-less Covid vaccines last month. The White House has tried and failed for months to secure the roughly $8 billion it says it needs from Congress to jump-start Covid Shield and appears unlikely to get it by the end of the year - at which point, Republicans could very well take over one or both chambers. Under ideal circumstances, experts believe the next big leap forward for Covid vaccines could happen as early as 2024.īut current conditions are far from ideal, more than a half-dozen Biden officials and health experts working on the issue said. Other companies and researchers are developing alternate approaches - like nasal sprays and oral pills - that scientists hope will be more effective at stopping infection altogether. Major companies like Pfizer and Moderna have proven they can create variant-specific booster shots in mere months. The government’s struggle to create a new Covid vaccine accelerator comes amid an otherwise encouraging period in the search for new weapons to fight the virus.
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