The Trump administration on Tuesday eliminated 22 mRNA vaccine development projects for COVID-19 and bird flu, a stark shift away from technology credited with bringing the United States out of the pandemic.
The decision affects research being conducted at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been critical of mRNA technology, said in a statement that such vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.” That is directly contradicted by scientific research showing the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are more than 90 percent effective at preventing serious illness or death.
