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“From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action to develop a safe and effective vaccine at breakneck speed… We harnessed the full power of government, the genius of American scientists, and the might of American industry to save millions and millions of lives all over the world… The gold standard vaccine has been done in less than nine months.”
That’s not a pharmaceutical company executive, scientist or public health official talking. It’s President Donald Trump.
President Trump made those remarks in 2020 at a White House summit celebrating his administration’s Operation Warp Speed initiative. Traditional vaccines often take years to develop. But thanks to a groundbreaking technology called mRNA and tremendous partnerships between government agencies and private companies, a powerful vaccine for COVID-19 was developed less than a year after the virus was sequenced.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on vaccine distribution during an Operation Warp Speed summit at the White House on Dec. 8, 2020. (Reuters/Tom Brenner)
His prediction that those vaccines would be a game-changer turned out to be correct. COVID-19 vaccines saved at least 3.2 million lives in the United States and millions more around the world. During a very dark time, it was an incredible achievement for our country.
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Yet Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undermining that achievement by canceling substantial federal research investments in mRNA – the technology that has already led to approved vaccines for COVID-19 and RSV, and holds tremendous potential for future treatments and cures for many diseases.
Instead of supporting researchers on the verge of revolutionizing vaccine science and saving countless lives, Secretary Kennedy has chosen to tie their hands. This decision will slow our progress, leave our nation underprepared for the next major public health emergency, and significantly damage America’s leadership in the scientific and medical fields.
President Trump should direct Secretary Kennedy to immediately reverse this shortsighted decision.
As a pediatrician for more than 30 years, I cared for children from all walks of life. Some had great health insurance; others had none. Some lived in wealthy neighborhoods; others grew up in poverty. But regardless of their circumstances, I strived to give every one of my patients the best possible care. That’s how every doctor should approach medicine, and it’s also how policymakers should approach their jobs. Health is too important to be politicized.
Scientists have been studying mRNA technology for decades, and the more than 13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been administered worldwide since 2020 have allowed researchers to assess their impact. The results are clear. mRNA technology has already saved millions of lives.
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It is also incredibly safe; the vast majority of side effects associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are minor and do not require medical intervention. The beauty of this particular technology is that scientists can quickly update and adapt those vaccines to keep up with changes in the viruses they are targeting without sacrificing quality or safety.
But the potential benefits of mRNA technology go well beyond a single virus. Scientists are working on mRNA vaccines and treatments that can target multiple types of cancer, genetic disorders, several other respiratory viruses and all kinds of rare diseases. Funding mRNA research now is also critical to helping us get ahead of the next big public health emergency, whenever and wherever it arrives.
That is why Secretary Kennedy’s decision to terminate federal mRNA research investments and instead rely on older and slower vaccine technology is deeply flawed. Health secretaries should not be denying Americans proven medical care. Stopping medical innovation in its tracks purely for ideological purposes is just wrong.
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When it comes to your health, listen to the people you trust the most – your doctor or nurse – rather than politicians. As President Trump has said, COVID-19 vaccines are a “medical miracle,” and mRNA holds so much promise for more Operation Warp Speed-type victories in the years ahead.
But for that to happen, politicians need to unleash American innovation and let our scientists and researchers do what they do best.
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