Comparing it to the Manhattan Project which delivered nuclear weapons during World War II, President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new coordinated plan to develop a vaccine against the Coronavirus, expressing the hope that it could be delivered to Americans much quicker than many experts have predicted.
"Again, we would love to see if we could do it prior to the end of the year," the President said during a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House.
"America will meet the moment," Mr. Trump added. "It's called Operation Warp Speed."
"That means big, and it means fast," the President said.
"We will get the job done," declared Defense Secretary Mark Esper, as the Pentagon will lend its resources to the research effort.
President Trump announces "Operation Warp Speed."
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 15, 2020
Full video here: https://t.co/5Zx9mDq7g4 pic.twitter.com/YnOqZZI5SG
Along with Pentagon support, the President tapped Dr. Moncef Slaoui to be the vaccine development chief for the Coronavirus project.
"I am honored to be asked by the Administration to take on this important responsibility,” said Slaoui.
Working with Slaoui will be U.S. Army General Gustave Perna.
New WH vaccine chief Moncef Slaoui say's he's confident they'll be able to deliver a few hundred million doses of a vaccine by the end of the year after recently seeing early data from a clinical trial
— Mary Ellen McIntire (@MelMcIntire) May 15, 2020
President Trump announces the two leaders of “Operation Warp Speed” to develop a coronavirus vaccine:
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 15, 2020
● Moncef Slaoui, former head of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division
● Army Materiel Command Gen. Gustave Perna on logistics https://t.co/U6pGht200i pic.twitter.com/a6n7JdHGru
As he announced the new vaccine development efforts, the President again jawboned states to relax their virus restrictions, and allow businesses and schools to re-open.
"I think the schools should be back in the fall," Mr. Trump told reporters. "I think lots of things should happen."
Cox Media Group