In 2022, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) led more high-consequence, no-fail missions than ever before – serving as the connective tissue for our response to COVID-19, mpox, Hurricane Ian, and a host of other public health challenges. It would take too long to describe all we have achieved but I would like to highlight a few items.
In recognition of the increasing magnitude and scope of ASPR’s work, earlier this year Secretary Becerra elevated ASPR from an HHS Staff Division to an Operating Division. This puts ASPR on the same footing as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. As part of this transition, ASPR released our Strategic Plan, which focuses on achieving and maintaining excellence in the preparedness, response, and recovery work by being an organization that learns and innovates; leaves no one behind; communicates clearly; and takes care of its people.
In January 2022, HHS successfully transitioned the capability formerly known as Operation Warp Speed to ASPR’s HHS Coordination Operations and Response Element (H-CORE). Since its inception, H-CORE has overseen the rollout and distribution of 2 oral antivirals, 2 monoclonal antibodies, 8 new vaccine products, 5 additional vaccine indications, and the test-to-treat program – delivering 294 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to more than 75,000 sites across the country. H-CORE also collaborated with the USPS and the Testing and Diagnostics Working Group to distribute more than 670M at-home test kits and worked across ASPR and CDC to conduct operational coordination for mpox.
In addition, since May 2022, ASPR successfully landed twenty-six flights as part of Operation Fly Formula – transporting more than 97.9 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents to the U.S. in response to ease the formula shortage. And in September and October 2022, ASPR successfully executed one of the largest deployments of personnel and equipment in support of a hurricane in the last five years. ASPR deployed 10 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) teams, with hundreds of additional incident management, logistical, and regional staff, supporting seven free-standing emergency room sites around the State of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) also executed the largest deployment of PPE this winter distributing over 270M N95 respirators to pharmacies and clinics.
From the first few mpox cases in May, we mobilized our response in close coordination with our CDC colleagues – ensuring the availability of medical countermeasures across the country. ASPR’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) has distributed over 893,000 vials of JYNNEOS, 80,000 bottles of oral TPOXX, and 12,000 vials of IV TPOXX across all states, territories and island jurisdictions, and large metropolitan areas in support of the mpox response. If it were not for the early support and investments by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) team in ASPR, the country and the world would not have had access to the JYNNEOS vaccine or the TPOXX antiviral to treat mpox. Thankfully, we are seeing dramatic declines in cases across the country, and we have announced that we will unwind the national public health emergency at the end of January.
In our public health response, a threat anywhere is a threat everywhere and this means constantly developing medical countermeasures to stay ahead of viruses. The moment we identified a case of Ebola Sudan this fall, ASPR leveraged BARDA’s long-term work in this space. BARDA supported the Sabin Vaccine Institute on an investigational vaccine, Mapp Biopharmaceutical on a therapeutic, and OraSure Technologies on diagnostic tests, to help protect people at home and abroad.
The pandemic severely strained our public health and medical supply chains and ASPR worked to address the root cause. We leveraged the authorities delegated to the Secretary under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to support the development, production, and procurement of critical COVID-19 countermeasures as well as to strengthen the industrial base and infuse the supply chain and marketplace with products the U.S. needs to contain further pandemic waves. The newly created ASPR Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC) Office will ensure a safe and consistent public health supply chain for medical materials, ingredients, and supplies.
This list represents some, but not all, of the work that is happening in ASPR each and every day. And while ASPR has accomplished its mission to assist the country in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies and disasters, we also know that we must remain nimble and ever vigilant while learning from each response we lead. I am looking forward to the year ahead with confidence and pride in our organization.
