Covid-19: Joe Biden sacks Trump’s African Moncef Slaoui

Recruited 6 months ago to lead the US vaccine strategy, Belgian-Moroccan Moncef Slaoui resigned Tuesday January 12 at the request of the Biden team. Dr Slaoui will step down in a month, after leading the unprecedented effort of the US government to develop a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19 before the end of 2020. The Moroccan-American immunologist had previously announced his intention to resign a once two vaccines and two therapies for Covid-19 were on the market, a goal that was achieved last month with the approval by U.S. health officials of Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines. Although the vaccination campaign has not been as rapid as expected in the United States, the speed of vaccine development, overseen by Dr Slaoui, has exceeded expectations. Two vaccines have been authorized in the United States with 95% effectiveness against the virus in less than a year.