Dr. Joyce: Road to Recovery Requires Accelerated Vaccine Timeline, Continued Innovation

Washington, DC During this week's Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing entitled "Road to Recovery: Ramping Up COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing, and Medical Supply Chain," Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) looked toward our nation's road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasized the importance of a strong vaccine distribution operation, continued innovation, and a secure supply chain.

In his remarks, Dr. Joyce praised the success of Operation Warp Speed for delivering multiple FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year, and he also urged caution for the new variants of the virus emerging across the world.

"Now is not the time to let up on innovation in the face of this additional health challenge?While these first-generation vaccines are nothing short of incredible and significant achievements, I believe it is imperative as a nation that we begin thinking about the U.S. government's approach to how we fight this virus in the years to come," said Dr. Joyce. "It is also critical that we not lose sight of the development of new therapeutics to treat the virus, in addition to second generation-vaccines that speed the public's access to the latest therapies."

During the hearing, Dr. Joyce and former Governor Michael Leavitt, who also previously served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, discussed the importance of collaboration with local health authorities to protect Americans from new variants of the COVID-19 virus, as well as the need for continued innovation in the research and development of vaccines that provide broad immunity.

Additionally, Dr. Joyce and Dr. Luciana Borio, the Vice President of IN-Q-TEL and a biodefense expert, discussed the vaccine supply chain. Despite challenges in production, including finite materials and capacity, it is critical that federal officials continue supporting large-scale vaccine manufacturing for the public health.

Background:

Earlier this week, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Last week, Dr. Joyce sent a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf asking for a clear plan and strategy for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine across the commonwealth, including in rural communities, as well as communicating with vulnerable Pennsylvanians. He has not yet received a response from the Wolf Administration.

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