Triumph for science

The speed record of Covid-19 vaccine launches is extraordinary

The pandemic delivered a rude shock, highlighting the gaps in the geopolitical system which have led to uncoordinated and contraindicated policy responses. As a result, there have been millions of infections and deaths. However, the response to Covid-19 has been a triumph for science. Recent advances in genome sequencing, gene-editing, and RNA vaccine creation have allowed for a rapid roll-out of new vaccines. Thousands of scientists and the global health care community have cooperated by sharing data and insights. For context, the human genome was sequenced in 2003, as the culmination of a project launched in 1990. The SARS-CoV-2 genome