'Warp Speed' Expert Slaoui: FDA Could OK Vaccine in Days

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief science adviser for the Trump administration's "Operation Warp Speed" initiative, said Wednesday he hopes to see the Food and Drug Administration approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in just over a week. 

His comments to ABC News come after British officials authorized the vaccine for emergency use in the United Kingdom. 

"I think it's great news," Slaoui said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I would expect the FDA to reach a similar conclusion. The MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency], the U.K. agency, is a very, very high-level type of agency comparable to the FDA in terms of its assessment. ... Things will follow their course, but I hope by the 10th or 11th of December, the Pfizer vaccine is approved."

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel on Tuesday voted to recommend that healthcare workers and long-term care center residents be vaccinated first, but one member said she's concerned that the vaccine hadn't been studied among long-term care residents, said show anchor George Stephanopoulos. 

Slaoui said he believes there is enough data because of studies done by Moderna, which, like Pfizer, has developed an mRNA vaccine, that show the effectiveness for that age group, as well. Slaoui also said he wants to reassure the public that no corners have been cut in the development of the vaccines, despite concerns about the politicization of the development process. 

"The development has been done very quickly because we had great science to allow us to do all the discovery work in weeks rather than in years," he said. "The clinical work, the most important part that must demonstrate the effectiveness of the vaccine and its safety, has been done to a higher standard in a larger number of people."

Slaoui acknowledged that the long-term safety of the vaccines is not known yet, but the pandemic is so rampant that the medications must be used earlier to save lives. He encouraged Americans to keep their minds open and listen to health experts. 

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