Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Vaccine Push Speeds Ahead, Public Confidence Lags Behind
It’s called Operation Warp Speed. And — regardless of one’s politics, one’s level of concern about Covid-19, or one’s views of therapeutics and vaccines — it inarguably ranks as one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors in modern U.S. history. Is it working? (Branswell, Herper, Facher, Silverman and Florko, 9/8)
Skepticism about getting a coronavirus vaccine has grown since earlier this summer, and most voters say if a vaccine were made available this year, their first thought would be that it was rushed through without enough testing. Just 21% of voters nationwide now say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one became available at no cost, down from 32% in late July. Most would consider it but would wait to see what happens to others before getting one. (de Pinto, 9/6)
A majority of voters say they expect a coronavirus vaccine will be available to the public by next year, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris survey released exclusively to The Hill on Friday. Sixty-three percent of respondents said they think a vaccine for the virus will be available in 2021, while 37 percent said they believed it would be available by the end of the year. (Manchester, 9/4)
Another federal official is making it clear that despite President Trump's predictions, there's hardly any chance a vaccine will be available to Americans by Election Day. "I don't know any scientist involved in this effort who thinks we will be getting shots into arms any time before Election Day," said the official, who is familiar with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's effort to develop coronavirus vaccines. (Cohen, 9/7)
In related vaccine news —
A second U.S. government agency is now reviewing whether Moderna (MRNA) properly disclosed millions of dollars in federally funded awards in several patents and patent applications the company filed for its vaccines. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is reviewing contracts awarded to the vaccine maker in response to a request from an advocacy group that analyzed dozens of patent applications. To date, BARDA has awarded the company up to $955 million to develop a vaccine based on its mRNA technology that would be jointly invented by the National Institutes of Health. (Silverman, 9/4)
