The head of U.S. counterintelligence said Tuesday (Jan. 13) that he is concerned that China and Russia could disrupt the U.S. coronavirus vaccine supply chain. U.S. health Secretary Azar said the U.S. vaccine distribution program is starting to move into the next phase.
Bill Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said at an online event held by The Washington Post that U.S. adversaries are trying to disrupt the U.S. government’s “warp drive. This is the Trump administration’s plan to develop and distribute the new crown vaccine across the country.
“Our adversaries are trying to disrupt this supply chain,” he said.
Asked which adversary he was particularly worried about, he replied, “I think right now it’s China and Russia.”
U.S. Health Secretary Azar said Tuesday at a briefing on Operation Warp Speed that the U.S. vaccine program is now at an important juncture, beginning the next phase.
That phase includes several components, he said.
“First, we are expanding access to vaccinated populations because state restrictions on eligibility are impeding the speed and accessibility of vaccination; second, we are notifying states of expanded access and access points for vaccination, and we are helping them do so; third, we are releasing all of our supply for states to order, rather than keeping a second physical stockpile of doses; and fourth, we are announcing upcoming changes to the way we distribute doses to encourage states to support rapid vaccination and focus on the most vulnerable populations,” he said.
Azar said a total of nearly 38 million doses of vaccine have been delivered to states to date, including about 25 million first doses, with more to be delivered this week. The vaccines, developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Modena, all require two doses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly 9 million Americans had received their first doses of the new crown vaccine as of Monday.
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