| Operation Warp Speed | |
|---|---|
 Official seal of Operation Warp Speed | |
| Active | May 15, 2020 – February 24, 2021 (285 days) |
| Disbanded | Transitioned to White House COVID-19 Response Team |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Part of | U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Other various government agencies |
| Engagements | Coronavirus disease 2019 |
| Website | Coronavirus: Operation Warp Speed |
| Commanders | |
| Head | Moncef Slaoui |
| Chief Operating Officer | General Gustave F. Perna |
| Commander in Chief | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|
 |
|
.svg){kind=small} COVID-19 portal |
Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was a public–private partnership initiated by the United States government to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.[1][2] The first news report of Operation Warp Speed was on April 29, 2020,[3][4][5] and the program was officially announced on May 15, 2020.[1] It was headed by Moncef Slaoui from May 2020 to January 2021 and by David A. Kessler from January to February 2021.[6] At the end of February 2021, Operation Warp Speed was transferred into the responsibilities of the White House COVID-19 Response Team.[7]
The program promoted mass production of multiple vaccines, and different types of vaccine technologies, based on preliminary evidence. Then there were clinical trials. The plan anticipated that some of these vaccines would not prove safe or effective, making the program more costly than typical vaccine development, but potentially leading to the availability of a viable vaccine several months earlier than typical timelines.[8]
Operation Warp Speed, initially funded with about $10 billion from the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) passed by the United States Congress on March 27, 2020,[1] was an interagency program that includes components of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); the Department of Defense; private firms; and other federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.[1]
- ^ a b c d "Trump Administration Announces Framework and Leadership for 'Operation Warp Speed'". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. May 15, 2020. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
Among its other objectives, Operation Warp Speed aims to have substantial quantities of a safe and effective vaccine available for Americans by January 2021.
- ^ "Fact Sheet: Explaining Operation Warp Speed". US Department of Health and Human Services. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Jacobs, Jennifer; Armstrong, Drew (April 29, 2020). "Trump's 'Operation Warp Speed' aims to rush coronavirus vaccine". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Jon (May 12, 2020). "Unveiling 'Warp Speed,' the White House's America-first push for a coronavirus vaccine". Science. doi:10.1126/science.abc7056. S2CID 219432336. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Sanger, David E. (April 29, 2020). "Trump seeks push to speed vaccine, despite safety concerns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Kaplan, Sheila (January 15, 2021). "Biden Picks Former F.D.A. Chief to Lead Federal Vaccine Efforts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Zraick, Karen (February 24, 2021). "Meet the key members of Biden's Covid-19 response team". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Jacobs, Jennifer; Armstrong, Drew (April 29, 2020). "Trump's 'Operation Warp Speed' Aims to Rush Coronavirus Vaccine". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.