I certainly don’t think we failed as a country. Only that the fight against COVID under Trump was a disaster for thousands of Americans and their families. Much of the lab work necessary for COVID vaccine development was jump started by years of work on the related SARS illness that we have been concerned with for years. In addition, our vaccine development piggybacked work done not just in American labs, but also labs all over Europe and Asia. Science worked a miracle with the vaccine, but it wasn’t done in nine months. They weren’t starting from scratch. Several Biden administration officials have lamented our lack of planning and readiness to implement the vaccination of the American people under the Trump administration. Based on the chaotic and dishonest performance of Trump throughout the pandemic I think most people believe our current administration.
Yep, they had it in their back pocket. Just like baking cookies. Add a little more sugar and a touch of vanilla and bam, you got something.
Except in this case, there was never a successful mRNA vaccine. Never. Oh, and the creation of the foundational components for mRNA is so full of failure that the experts that work with the stuff every day joke that you can’t even look at it wrong or it will break.
Oh, and let’s not forget that little thing called
antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) effect, which was a major issue with the work on SARS and MERS vaccine development.
And your are right, the vaccine wasn’t developed in nine months. It was conceived, tested, approved, manufacturing methods created, plants and equipment procured and built, and the supply chain primed in nine months.