The government intends to partner with the vaccine manufacturing industry to address immediate vaccine needs both domestically and overseas to prepare for a future pandemic, David Kessler, MD, HHS chief scientific officer for COVID-19 response, and Jeff Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, told the Times.
“This is about assuring expanded capacity against COVID variants and also preparing for the next pandemic,” Dr. Kessler told the Times. “The goal, in the case of a future pandemic, a future virus, is to have vaccine capability within six to nine months of identification of that pandemic pathogen, and to have enough vaccines for all Americans.”
It’s unclear how much money the initiative will cost, but Dr. Kessler estimated it at several billion, the Times reported. The money is to come from the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package signed into law in March.
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