Operation Warp Speed Offers Hope

As appeared in the September 10, 2020 edition of the Elizabethtown Advocate

As our nation continues responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19, significant progress is underway on the development of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutic treatments. This work is being led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and coordinated across numerous federal departments and agencies along with the private sector in what is known as Operation Warp Speed.

The goal of this program is to harness the strength of America's scientific research community in the public and private sectors to develop, manufacture, and distribute vaccines and treatments to the American people in record time. Operation Warp Speed hopes to produce and deliver 300 million doses with initial doses available by January 2021, with the potential of an earlier limited delivery dependent upon successful testing.

There are currently three vaccine candidates in Phase III trials, which is the last stage of testing. These candidates will be tested on thousands of volunteers to assess their efficacy and safety. Dozens of other candidates are in earlier stages of clinical trials. The Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Stephen Hahn, is tasked with final approval on vaccines, and he has made clear that any vaccine candidate must meet the rigorous safety standards of his department before it receives approval. The partners of Operation Warp Speed are also investing in building out manufacturing and logistical distribution capacity. This will ensure that when a safe candidate receives final approval, it will be able to be produced and released to the public as swiftly as possible.

Research on additional effective treatments is also underway. The medical community continues to learn more about effective treatments of COVID-19. The federal government worked hard to ensure that our healthcare systems had enough ventilators, one of the treatment options. The use of ventilators to treat patients is trending downward, according to the most recent data available from the state Department of Health, at the time of this article's writing.

As new data becomes available, treatment options are expanding. The FDA is continuing to evaluate treatment options, recently providing emergency use authorization for the drug remdesivir to be used as a treatment of all hospitalized individuals with COVID-19. The FDA has also provided the same emergency authorization for use of convalescent plasma, which would take the antibodies from individuals who have successfully recovered from COVID-19 and transfer them to a patient battling the illness.

The path forward looks hopeful with the full strength of the American government and private sector working together to develop vaccines and treatments.

While this work continues, it is critical that we all take commonsense steps to stop the spread of COVID-19. Stay home when you feel sick. Practice social distancing, wear a mask when you're in public and wash your hands frequently.