Assuming anti-vax administrators allow us to take new mRNA vaccines, which is far from certain.
But yeah mRNA is a game changer for quick vaccine response. In theory after sequencing the virus a new vaccine could be in testing days later.
But yeah mRNA is a game changer for quick vaccine response. In theory after sequencing the virus a new vaccine could be in testing days later.
First, mRNA technology has now been proven for multiple vaccine types, and I think hundreds of millions of people have gotten the COVID mRNA vaccine, so the general safety profile of mRNA is fairly well understood.
Second, Moderna has already done a Phase 3 trial of a combination COVID/Flu mRNA vaccine, with supposedly positive results, although I don't think they have been formally published yet. For other types of flu vaccines, the FDA does not require a new clinical trial for the antigen update for the circulating strain.
Third, the infrastructure for producing mRNA vaccines at scale exists now, which it didn't in 2020.