On May 28, Moderna announced that the Trump administration has canceled its contract “for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans, as well as the right to purchase shots…”
Justifying the move, a Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson stated that that the project “did not meet the scientific standards or safety expectations required for continued federal investment.” However, Moderna debunked this claim on the day the contract was canceled, as it had successfully tested the safety of its bird flu vaccine.
This disregard of vaccines is inconsistent with Trump’s previous boasts regarding Operation Warp Speed.
“The cancellation means that the government is discarding what could be one of the most effective and rapid tools to combat an avian influenza outbreak,” said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, adding that it is the opposite approach Trump took with Operation Warp Speed to combat COVID-19.
Reuters
HHS, which had previously awarded Moderna $176 million to work on the bird flue vaccine, is under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has gone on a crusade against vaccines. This is despite the fact that he is not a scientist or a doctor- he has no expertise in vaccines, their efficacy, or lack thereof. He has disastrously suggested that poultry farmers should allow the new, aggressive form of bird flu to spread unchecked.
