In 2020 the U.S. government set up Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Its goal was to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine by January 2021. Its fact sheet described the method: “Rather than eliminating steps from traditional development timelines, steps will proceed simultaneously.”
The fact sheet added: “This increases the financial risk, but not the product risk.” The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on December 11, 2020.