The U.S. government, under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has cancelled nearly $500 million in contracts for mRNA vaccine development, a move celebrated by anti-vaccine advocates despite contradicting scientific evidence. Kennedy claimed the cancellation was due to the vaccines’ ineffectiveness against respiratory infections, a claim refuted by health experts like Michael Osterholm. The decision has been met with concern, as it jeopardizes the ability to combat future pandemics and undermines national security, as well as essential government investment in vaccine development.
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Moderna’s decision to withdraw its application for a combined COVID-19 and influenza vaccine is a significant development, raising questions about the future of multi-vaccine approaches to infectious disease prevention. The company had previously reported promising results from a large-scale trial involving over 8,000 participants aged 50 and older. This trial demonstrated that the combination vaccine elicited significantly higher antibody levels against both COVID-19 and multiple influenza strains compared to receiving the individual vaccines separately. The increase in antibody levels was substantial, ranging from 20% to 40% higher, suggesting the potential for enhanced protection.
Despite these positive findings, the application was ultimately pulled.… Continue reading
The US government has recently allocated $176 million to Moderna for the development of an mRNA pandemic flu vaccine. As a taxpayer, it’s concerning to see such a large sum of money being funneled into a private corporation for vaccine development. The idea that we, as taxpayers, should foot the bill for the creation of a vaccine that will potentially save millions of lives seems reasonable on the surface. However, the issue lies in the privatization of profits that often follows these types of investments.
It’s frustrating to witness this pattern of socializing the cost of vaccine development while allowing corporations to reap the benefits.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood