Operation Warp Speed Behind Schedule: Vaccinating Americans Could Take 10 Years at Current Pace

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Dec 30, 2020 08:15 PM EST

(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A nurse holds up a syringe with the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine in it at the Jackson Memorial Hospital on December 30, 2020 in Miami, Florida.

Operation Warp Speed did not appear to be moving fast enough as a jarring analysis found that it could take almost 10 years to inoculate all Americans at current pace.

An analysis by NBC News showed Tuesday that it would take 10 years for Operation Warp Speed to vaccinate its goal of 80 percent of the country's population by the end of June 2021.

According to the analysis, in order to meet the goal, more than three million Americans have to get inoculated per day. So far, only two million people in total were vaccinated.

Operation Warp Speed is a private-public partnership led by Vice President Mike Pence to produce and deliver a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

Most Vaccines Given to Frontline Health Workers

Of the two million people who were given vaccines, most of them were frontline health care workers and some nursing home residents. There were 11.5 million doses delivered in the last two weeks.

The Hill also noted in its report that there have been reports of lagging delegation and Pfizer vaccine doses sitting on ice awaiting distribution, which brought criticism to Operation Warp Speed.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, told NBC he doesn't think the 20 million doses promised for this year could be distributed.

"Georgia, for example just started vaccinating nursing homes yesterday, and the vaccine has been on the market, right now - been authorized for almost three weeks," Gottlieb said, noting that the U.S. was running behind in serving these facilities.

One of the issues in the slow distribution was that both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine require two doses to be administered three weeks apart.

But Gottlieb also said even if people are still waiting on their second shots, the first doses should start having some positive effects to public immunity.

He said the effect will be seen in the country's most vulnerable populations "soon" once people start getting the first shot.

This is because according to vaccine data, the first dose is "partially protective."

Gottlieb noted that the magnitude and duration of the immunity is still unknown but there is evidence that the first dose offers some level of protection against the virus.

Trump Says States Should 'Get Moving'

Last Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden blasted the Trump administration for the slow rollout of vaccines.

"As I long feared and warned, the effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should," Biden said.

Shortly after, Trump said it was "up to the states" to distribute the vaccines already given by the government, said a report from The Independent.

"Now it is up to the states to administer. Get moving!" Trump said on a Tuesday night tweet.

He noted that under his administration, the vaccines were not only developed, but money was also put up to get the process moving along quickly and have gotten the shots to the states.

He also repeated his claim and old campaign attack saying "Biden failed with Swine flu."

Tags Operation Warp Speed, 10 years