COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a respiratory illness that led to a global pandemic, resulting in widespread sickness, hospitalizations, and millions of deaths worldwide. The virus can also lead to long-term health problems known as “long COVID.” Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 became incredibly important because the vaccines were highly effective at preventing severe illness, reducing the need for hospitalization, and lowering the chances of death. Vaccination also played a crucial role in slowing the spread of the virus within communities and protecting vulnerable populations. The rapid development and deployment of these vaccines were critical tools in managing the pandemic and helping societies return to a sense of normalcy.

The groundbreaking science behind the COVID-19 vaccines heavily relied on years of federally funded research. For instance, the work of Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, who discovered how to modify mRNA to make it a viable and safe vaccine technology, was supported by government grants over many years. Similarly, Jason McLellan and his team’s crucial discovery of how to stabilize the spike protein of the coronavirus, a key component used in many COVID-19 vaccines, also benefited significantly from federal funding, including from the National Institutes of Health. These long-term public investments in fundamental scientific research laid the essential groundwork that allowed scientists to develop life-saving vaccines with unprecedented speed once the pandemic emerged.