Scientists comment on Robert F.
Kennedy Jr cancelling funding for mRNA vaccines.
Prof Adam Finn, Professor of Pediatrics,
University of Bristol, said:
“mRNA vaccines are one of several
important vaccine platforms available to us to combat future pandemics and
develop new vaccines against existing infectious diseases against which we
either have no vaccines or vaccines which could be improved.
“They were used with vast success
in the recent COVID19 pandemic.
“They have the singular advantage
that they can be designed and manufactured at scale extremely rapidly – making
them very suitable to tackle new infections or rapidly mutating and evolving
pathogens.
“However much remains to be
learned and understood about how best to design and use this platform to maximize
its effectiveness and its safety, so that investment in further research is
vital.
“While mRNA vaccines are not the
only type of vaccines we need and should use, we definitely should not be
turned our back on them, given what we already know about them and given that
we know beyond doubt that another pandemic is coming – sometime.”
Prof Peter Openshaw, Professor of
Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, said: “mRNA vaccine technology
was vital during the COVID pandemic, leading to dramatic declines in mortality
and saving many lives. A reliable analysis by Airfinity [1] of the lives saved
by vaccines between the 8th of December 2020 and the 8th of December
2021 estimated that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevented about 6 million
deaths, and the Moderna vaccine about 1.7m deaths. This is an
extraordinary achievement for vaccines that were developed at speed in the face
of the pandemic.
“Vaccines were one of the main
reasons that mortality from COVID declined; in Switzerland, [example 2] , the
death rate of 13.82 per 100,000 people fell to 0.67 per 100,000 in those who
were fully vaccinated. The impact of vaccines in beyond question and
confirmed by countless independent and meticulous studies [example 3]. By
late 2021, intensive care admissions for COVID were virtually confined to those
who had not been vaccinated (ICNARC data). mRNA vaccination also reduced the
risk of Lond COVID by about 50% [4].
“Some of what RFK Jr reportedly
said is technically correct but does not recognize the vast positive impact of
RNA vaccines. It is true that immunity can drive mutations, but this is true of
both post-infection and vaccine-induced immunity. Vaccine-induced immunity is
especially important in protecting from serious disease and death, while
post-infection immunity may also drive immune evasion by a slightly longer
period of nasal and upper respiratory protection. Prevention of serious disease
is the most important goal of vaccination (see John Burn-Murdoch’s post [5]).
“It is irrational and harmful to
cut funds in this vital field of research and development. It would not be
surprising if US investigators and companies developing vaccines look elsewhere
to work, invest and build. I hope the UK can recognize the importance of
supporting vaccine development and can provide a safe haven for those
considering leaving the USA because of changes in policy and funding.”
-Science Media Center
2 – https://ourworldindata.org/covid-deaths-by-vaccination
3 – https://x.com/PaulMainwood/status/1452607646570323970
5 – https://x.com/jburnmurdoch/status/141
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