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M AY O R M A T H E S O N G O E S T O
WASHINGTON STO RY B Y JO H N R I D D L E
Mayor Scott James Matheson Is One of Only Two Georgians Who Attended The “Operation Warp Speed Summit” at The White House
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n January of 2020, Scott James Matheson was settling into his new role as Mayor of Valdosta. No doubt looking forward to his first year in office. Little did he know how challenging 2020 would turn out to be and how it would change people's lives all over the world. Not the type of year any of us wanted—especially those in public office who were thrust into trying to help their communities navigate through the responses to a global pandemic. The winter of 2020 was a long one, with most people spent quarantining at home for weeks on end. Spring brought some relief. By summer, there was talk of a vaccine that might be available by year's end. "Operation Warp Speed" was the federal government's herculean effort to both develop a vaccine and distribute it as quickly as humanly possible.
Once the vaccine was developed, The White House assembled strategic leaders from around the country to participate in the "Operation Warp Speed Summit." Held at the White House complex in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the summit's purpose was to create a better understanding of how the vaccine was developed and build confidence in its effectiveness. Participants heard from the key leaders managing the effort. President Trump kicked off the summit. Other speakers included: Vice President Pence, who oversaw the entire effort, Alex Azar, the architect of “Operation Warp Speed,” General Perna, who was managing the distribution plan, Jerome Adams, the US Surgeon General, five governors, and the CEO's of Moderna, Pfizer, UPS, FedEx, CVS, and Walgreens. Besides presentations, the summit consisted of round-table discussions that helped educate the
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participants on the entire plan for the final development and distribution of the vaccine. “We got a really good working knowledge of how the vaccine was developed so rapidly. They didn’t have to ‘reinvent the wheel’, Matheson said. “We learned that work on the coronavirus has been going on for decades. The scientists just had to map the last 10% of the specific path to Covid-19.” That is essential information for those who think they might not trust the vaccine. The emphasis was on the fact that having a vaccine is one thing, but getting people vaccinated is another. The Surgeon General was instrumental in sharing the information that will help build confidence in the vaccine. “One of the people I spent the most time with was Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General. He was helping with messaging on how to explain
