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Welcome to The Logoff: In a blow to US pandemic preparedness, Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced on Tuesday night that he was slashing $500 million in federal mRNA vaccine contracts.
What’s HHS chopping? Twenty-two mRNA vaccine tasks, supposed to fight respiratory viruses like hen flu, are set to be wound down following the announcement.
What’s mRNA? mRNA, or messenger RNA, is the rationale the US had secure, efficient Covid-19 vaccines accessible as early because it did. A promising however nonetheless unproven know-how previous to the pandemic, mRNA allowed pharmaceutical corporations to develop efficient vaccines way more quickly and extra adaptably than was as soon as attainable.
What’s the context? Kennedy has lengthy made false claims about mRNA vaccines, together with describing the Covid-19 vaccine as “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” On Tuesday, he falsely acknowledged that mRNA vaccines “don’t carry out properly towards viruses that infect the higher respiratory tract,” resembling Covid. The truth is, by one estimate, the Covid vaccines saved some 2.5 million lives.
What are the implications of the cuts? Tuesday’s announcement is unhealthy information for 2 distinct causes.
So far as Kennedy is worried, that is simply the newest reminder that he’s who he all the time seemed to be, and solely partially coated up whereas searching for to be confirmed because the secretary for the US Division of Well being and Human Providers: not a good “skeptic” however an anti-vaccine advocate who will use his energy to impose unscientific beliefs on US public well being infrastructure.
For the nation, vaccine consultants say Tuesday’s information is an actual blow to efforts to organize for the subsequent pandemic, the arrival of which is a query of when and never if. mRNA vaccines have proved to be one in all our greatest instruments for saving lives, and the US will now be additional behind in growing new vaccines than it in any other case could be. The consequence is more likely to be measured in human lives.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
mRNA vaccines are only one latest instance of the miracle of contemporary drugs — one other is this story from the New York Occasions, about new remedies for cardiac amyloidosis, a sort of coronary heart failure. The illness was as soon as overwhelmingly deadly, however a number of lately authorised medicine are altering that, lowering mortality by 25 p.c or extra. One other drug, nonetheless in improvement, might even assist reverse the illness’s progress, moderately than merely stopping its advance. I believe that’s fairly hopeful — thanks for studying, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow!
