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rigorous scientific-review process by preserving a
requirement that all volunteers in the vaccine stud-
ies be followed for two months for any safety con-
cerns. If Biden does choose to replace the leaders of
any of the federal government’s health agencies, it
could signal to the public that government-employed
scientists, and the research and policies they oversee,
are tainted by politics, and would only further com-
promise any of their public-health advice, including
getting immunized if and when vaccines are avail-
able. Indeed, the paramount concern for Biden will
be reversing the damage done by his predecessor’s
assaults on science, which have led Americans—both
Democratic and Republican—to worry that politics
has driven COVID-19 vaccine development. Just
weeks before Pfizer’s Nov. 9 announcement that its
vaccine was 90% effective in reducing COVID-19 ill-
ness, an Oct. 12 Gallup poll reported that only half of
respondents said they would get vaccinated if a free
FDA-approved vaccine were available immediately.
That’s a “nightmare scenario,” says Dr. How-
ard Koh, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health and former Assistant Secretary
for Health and Human Services during the Obama
Administration. The government funded the devel-
opment and manufacturing, and has purchased mil-
lions of doses, of six vaccine candidates in its Oper-
ation Warp Speed (OWS) program. (Pfizer funded
development of its own vaccine.) But even the most
effective vaccine does no good sitting on a shelf.
A Biden cAmpAign Adviser authorized to speak
with TIME only if not quoted by name says Biden’s
goal is “ensuring the safety and efficacy of the vac-
cine and ensuring there’s no politicization of that
process.” But the campaign adviser also stood by
comments like the one Harris made during the de-
bate, when she said she would not take a vaccine rec-
ommended by Trump. “It’s Trump who has let us
down, it is Trump who has lied to us, and I think it’s
really important that that be called out” because it
shows “we are watching,” the campaign adviser said.
By all accounts, the FDA, which will ultimately
decide whether to authorize the handful of vaccine
candidates currently in trials, has prevailed in de-
flecting the Trump Administration’s attempts to
shortcut the review process. Each vaccine trial look-
ing at safety and effectiveness was carefully designed
and reviewed by both government and independent
health experts and likely won’t change once Biden is
in office. That said, the Biden team “is going to have
to figure out what parts of OWS it keeps, and what
parts it does not,” says Dr. Tom Frieden, former di-
rector of the CDC and current president and CEO
of Resolve to Save Lives, a U.S.-based global public-
health nonprofit. So far, OWS has supported the de-
velopment and manufacturing of the vaccines, and it
plans to help distribute the doses once they are ready.
The new Administration may also need to address
the fact that local health departments are struggling
to keep up with the demand for testing, contact trac-
ing and COVID-19 care coordination from their local
clinics, hospitals and citizens. Because the Trump
Administration didn’t prioritize a national pandemic
strategy—including, for example, mandating mask
wearing in public or prohibiting mass gatherings—
state health officials say they have been left with the
task of figuring out not only what policies to sup-
port but how to communicate them to a confused
public. “We never had a united plan for the United
States,” says Koh. “The 50 states have been going in
50 different directions. To continue doing what we
are doing now will only prolong the pandemic un-
necessarily and cause more unnecessary suffering.”
A more co ordinated national plan will be essential
for a successful vaccination program, since “vaccines
don’t stop infections, vaccination programs do,” says
Frieden. “We need a comprehensive vaccination pro-
gram, and we’re falling behind. We’re not doing what
we need to do to create strong vaccination programs.”
The CDC is working with state and local health
departments, but those officials around the country
^
President-elect Biden and Vice President–
elect Harris hold a virtual meeting with their
COVID-19 advisory council on Nov. 9
CAROLYN KASTER—AP
