How mRNA Vaccines Saved Millions During COVID-19 and the Controversy Over Canceled Research
mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $500 million in government-funded research to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses. Scientists use mRNA technology to develop vaccines faster than traditional methods, potentially vaccinating the world within a year. This technology, which carries genetic instructions for the body to make proteins, has been used in Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines. However, the U.S. Health Secretary's decision to halt research concerns experts who note mRNA could help combat future pandemics by enabling quicker vaccine production. Traditional vaccine methods take 18 months to vaccinate one-fourth of the world, while mRNA technology could vaccinate the entire world within a year.