Ongoing COVID-19 Vaccine Development Needed

Investing in the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine is crucial to prevent future economic disasters and protect communities. Despite the announcement of the end of the national public health emergency, the world is still at risk of losing over $700 billion annually to pandemics unless critical investments are made. Cutting funding for pandemics is not the solution, as new variants of Covid-19 will likely emerge in the future, causing significant damage. Taking action now can save billions of dollars and countless lives.

A universal coronavirus vaccine is necessary to protect against existing strains and future variants. Although scientists are working on such vaccines, more resources need to be invested due to the ongoing mutation of the virus. Waiting for a new variant to emerge before COVID-19 vaccine development yields a viable candidate would lead to severe consequences for lives and economies.