The government is sticking to its ambitious vaccine timeline

The leaders of Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine, aren’t backing down from their unprecedented plan to deliver millions of doses by the end of the year. Outside experts have called the timeline unrealistic, but one senior official believes the U.S.’s inability to contain the virus might accelerate the development of a vaccine.

Operation Warp Speed is funding the development of four vaccine candidates, each expected to enter Phase 3 trials in the coming months. That’s where the recent spike in coronavirus cases could be a benefit, a senior administration official said on a conference call with reporters yesterday.

“If there’s any silver lining in the outbreaks we’re currently seeing, it’s that we need 30,000 people in each of these trials, and we need to conduct them in areas where there are outbreaks,” the official said. “Somewhat paradoxically, the current outbreaks may help us get a vaccine faster.”