President Joe Biden has hailed his vaccination distribution without crediting the Trump administration, but the fact remains the plan is 90% the doing for former President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed, according to Dr. Moncef Slaoui.
"I think that's a very negative description of the reality," Slaoui told CBS's "Face the Nation" of Biden's vaccine messaging. "I do think that we had plans. In fact, 90% of what is happening now is the plan that we had.
"Of course, the first thing was to accelerate the development of the vaccine. We contracted, specifically, 100 million doses of the vaccine, but built into the contracts options to acquire more vaccines once we knew they were effective.
"So, I think what is happening now is right, but I think what is happening was frankly what was the plan – substantially what was the plan."
President Biden has been ripped on Newsmax TV by political strategist Dick Morris for being "a rooster taking credit for the dawn," Slaoui reiterated that criticism to CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
"I think in terms of manufacturing and supply and distribution, which is the physical shipment of vaccine to immunization site, the answer is yes, because there's a ramp up in manufacturing, as always happens," he said. "And that's what we are experiencing and seeing."
Biden does deserve some credit for large vaccinations sites, but the healthcare centers and pharmacy distribution was all the Trump administration's, Slaoui added.
"I do think that in terms of immunization and shots in arms, in particular the large vaccination sites in sports arenas and the likes and the participation of FEMA, those were not parts of the plan, and they are participating to accelerate, I think to some extent, the immunization," he said.
"But the bulk of vaccine distribution is happening in the healthcare centers and now in the pharmacies, and that was all part of the plan."
Even the getting competitors Merck and Johnson & Johnson to work together – as taken credit by President Biden – was already discussed under Trump, Slaoui noted.
"So the discussion with Merck had started already prior to the new administration taking office, including discussions around making available their facilities for – definitely on the short term – doing what's called the fill finish, which is the putting vaccines into the sterile vials and then over a longer period of time to manufacture the bulk vaccine itself," he said.
"And they have been completed under this administration, and I think it's very, very good. And it's excellent that the industry goes beyond its competition – competitive scenarios and work together."
The politicization of vaccinations does have Slaoui concerned, he told Brennan.
"I'm very concerned, very concerned that for political motivation, people decide to actually place themselves and the people around them in harms way by refusing to be vaccinated," he said.
"I think we need to do every effort we can to explain to people that vaccines have nothing to do with politics. These vaccines are safe. They are highly effective. They're going to help them protect themselves and protect the people around them from the spread of this virus and critically from the potential appearance of new variants."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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