The report found HHS had not ensured "it has sufficient workforce capacity" nor arranged "a schedule to manage the remaining vaccine development, manufacturing and distribution activities," risking a loss of capabilities. "Without fully ensuring HHS readiness, HHS and DOD face an increased risk of interruptions in their remaining work, such as addressing ongoing vaccine needs for boosters or for any emerging Covid-19 variants," the agency wrote. The GAO, however, said "it is unclear" whether HHS was prepared to take over the program given that a majority of the Pentagon's current responsibilities - including coordinating vaccine distribution, safeguarding the doses, and offering legal advice to federal agencies involved in the effort - had not been transferred to HHS by late last year.
In May 2021, the Biden administration ordered HHS to begin assuming responsibilities of the program shared with the Department of Defense (DOD) by the end of 2021, according to the report by Congress' auditing agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It continues to oversee approval and funding of other potential Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.
The program has invested more than $30 billion to develop, manufacture and purchase vaccines, including from Moderna and Pfizer and German partner BioNTech that have been used to inoculate nearly 200 million Americans, as well as shots that have not been authorized for U.S.
The Covid-19 vaccine program, dubbed "Operation Warp Speed," by the Trump administration in May 2020, involved hundreds of officials from multiple agencies.
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