Safeguard Vaccine Use and Development

The mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 is one of the major 21^st-century triumphs of our nation’s investment in basic science—research that was largely funded by the U.S. government. That taxpayer-funded support is especially important because basic scientific research often does not have immediate commercial applications.

Decades of foundational research undertaken by the National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other agencies provided a springboard to the rapid development of COVID vaccines when the pandemic hit. That quick response clearly contributed to the recovery of the U.S. economy in 2021 and 2022.

So how does the current administration respond? By cutting science funding to its lowest level in decades. According to The New York Times, as of May 21, National Science Foundation grant funding has been cut in half—down $1 billion—from the average funding level between 2015 and 2024.

The recent announcements from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, that eligibility for this fall’s COVID booster will be sharply curtailed for the under-65 population, and that the COVID vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children or healthy pregnant women—contradicted three days later by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—are concerning enough for public health experts.

But in addition, the process for the pronouncements violated standard procedures, according to which a panel of expert advisers to the CDC meet to consider current data and possible side effects and then make a recommendation to the CDC director.

Add together the funding cuts and policy changes and the sum is a threat to evidence-based decision-making around vaccines. In response, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota has announced the formation of the Vaccine Integrity Project, which will be guided by an eight-member steering committee of leading public health and policy experts from across the country. Its mission is “safeguarding vaccine use in the U.S. so that it remains grounded in the best available science, free from external influence, and focused on optimizing protection of individuals, families, and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Philanthropist Christy Walton provided seed money for the Vaccine Integrity Project, but the organization also seeks tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations and corporations.

Update: On June 9, HHS Secretary Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s advisory committee on immunization, which was scheduled to meet later this month. Kennedy’s new appointments for that panel are expected to revise the recommendations for immunizations, which could potentially diminish coverage of certain vaccines by insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid. Further reading on this topic here.

Source: The New York Times