Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui predicted that people’s lives may “start getting back to normal” by the spring if vaccine distribution and effectiveness go as planned.
Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have all participated to some degree in the Trump administration initiative for coronavirus vaccine research, development, and distribution.
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares to possibly approve the first vaccines over the next two weeks, Slaoui laid out the schedule and the potential impact during a Sunday morning appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
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“I think we may start to see some impact on the most susceptible people probably in the month of January and February, but on a population basis, for our lives to start getting back to normal, we’re talking about April or May,” Slaoui told anchor Margaret Brennan.
“And therefore it’s absolutely vital that everybody, A, take comfort in the fact that we have light at the end of the tunnel and find the energy in that to continue to wear our masks, distance, wash our hands, pay attention to what we are doing to make sure that we are there by the spring to benefit from the vaccine,” he continued.
Slaoui predicted that the FDA would “make a positive decision” on vaccine approval, but stressed that it’s “their decision.” (RELATED: ‘Immunize For Impact’: Brett Giroir Says 80% Of Vaccine Benefit Can Come Through Immunizing Vulnerable First)
“They are totally separated and fire-walled from the operation,” he said. “They will make their own judgment based on the data. And I hope that the decision will be positive.”
