Bioethics In A Pandemic: Operation Warp Speed

References to Operation Warp Speed (OWS) have been present throughout our coverage of the ethical questions related to the development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, OWS is part of a broader public-private effort to accelerate COVID-19 countermeasures, such as the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. OWS has ambitious goals. It intends to deliver 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 19, 2021. Here, we provide a brief overview of OWS, its current progress, and relevant ethical considerations.

What is Operation Warp Speed?

OWS is a public-private partnership that engages private firms to coordinate existing government COVID-19 efforts. Companies provide to the U.S. government an allocation of countermeasures developed in exchange for receiving support from OWS. The intent is to make the countermeasures affordable for the American people.