Moncef Slaoui, PhD, chief advisor of Operation Warp Speed, submitted his resignation at the request of President-elect Joe Biden's team, although he'll stay on for another month to oversee the transition to the new administration, CNBC reported Jan. 12.
Dr. Slaoui led the government's vaccine development initiative and previously said he planned on stepping down once two COVID-19 vaccines and two therapies were available. CNBC reports that last week, Dr. Slaoui said he "decided to extend that in order to ensure that the operation continues to perform the way it has performed through the transition of administration," adding "we're getting close to the point where my value add is more limited."
His role, ending by Feb. 12, is expected to start diminishing after the inauguration Jan. 20, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told CNBC.
Since two vaccines have already been authorized in the U.S., it's unclear whether President-elect Biden's team will appoint a scientific lead focused on vaccine development.
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