Biden to meet U.S. coronavirus vaccine adviser

[NFA] The chief adviser for U.S. efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine said on Sunday he planned to meet with President-elect Joe Biden's team this week to discuss the program.

This report produced by Chris Dignam.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief adviser for U.S. efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine, said on Sunday that he planned to meet with President-elect Joe Biden this week before the expected first round of vaccinations in the country later this month.

SLAOUI: "We haven't had any meetings yet.

I know we have a meeting this coming week, and really look forward to it because actually things have been really very appropriately planned." Last week, Biden criticized Operation Warp Speed's vaccine distribution plan and said his team had not seen a detailed outline from the Trump administration to get a vaccine to various states, which he called an expensive and difficult process.

BIDEN: "There is no detailed plan, that we have seen anyway, as to how you get the vaccine out of a container into an injection syringe into somebody's arm." In his interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," Slaoui said part of the confusion may be that the government's plan relies on state health agencies to deliver the vaccine.

The first shipment is expected to cover inoculations of 3.2 million people, nowhere near enough for the 21 million healthcare workers in the United States.

SLAOUI: "I hope that new transition teams will understand that things are well planned and, frankly, our commitment is to make sure these vaccines make it safely to the U.S. population.

And will do the best we can to make that happen through the transition without any interruption." President Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge his loss to Biden in the Nov.

3 presidential election caused a delay in the transition process that allowed White House health advisers to communicate with the new Biden health advisory team.

Biden was due to announce members of his public health team this week.