Why America May Not Be Ready for the Next Pandemic
An employee prepares a syringe of raw materials for messenger RNA (mRNA), the first step of Covid-19 vaccine production, at the BioNTech SE laboratory in Marburg, Germany, on Saturday, March 27, 2021. BioNTech and Pfizer Inc. raised this year’s production target for their Covid-19 vaccine to as many as 2.5 billion doses, with the German biotech’s chief executive predicting a version of the shot that can be stored in refrigerators will be ready within months. Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg
, Bloomberg
Leila Hussain and Cynthia Koons, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- Genomic surveillance is a critical tool that helps current vaccines remain effective by monitoring viral mutations. But a lack of funding and political will means America remains vulnerable to the next pandemic.On this episode of Bloomberg’s Storylines, we explore how U.S. scientists were able to begin tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus, and why the country may just as quickly forget the lessons learned before the next health crisis strikes.
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