We’ve seen vaccines save lives before: the polio vaccine, the smallpox vaccine, and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. These were carefully tested, refined over time, and designed to prevent disease and transmission. Mistakes were made—like the tragic Cutter Incident with the Salk polio vaccine—but those failures led to stricter safety standards. The goal was always the same: protect public health without sacrificing trust.That trust has been shaken. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were rushed. They did not stop transmission. They did not provide the long-lasting protection people expected. And now, questions are growing about whether this technology is the right path forward.
I was reminded today of those sugar cubes—the oral polio vaccine so many of us took as kids. It worked. It ended polio in the U.S. So why has the National Institutes of Health (NIH) just paused a trial for an oral COVID-19 vaccine that was set to be tested on 10,000 people?
Is it just a safety review? Or is it a sign of deeper concerns about using mRNA for vaccines?
The NIH also postponed its next-generation flu shot trials using mRNA technology. Another delay. Another moment of hesitation.
Maybe, at last, safety comes first again.
History Lesson on Vaccine Safety
Vaccines have long been tested for safety. Traditional vaccines use dead or weakened viruses to train the immune system. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were different. They did not use a virus. Instead, they instructed the body to create a spike protein—a foreign substance meant to trigger an immune response.
The COVID shot was rushed. Pfizer planned to keep trial data hidden for 75 years. Those who took it had no legal recourse if harmed. Many had no choice—to accept it or lose their jobs. That wasn’t consent. That wasn’t informed choice.
The spike protein, meant to help, spread throughout the body. Some suffered severe side effects—heart inflammation, menstrual changes, and more. Meanwhile, scientists who questioned the shot were silenced. Studies on alternative treatments like Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine were dismissed or misrepresented.
One of the biggest falsehoods? That the vaccine worked better than natural immunity. But the body’s response to actual infection was broader and longer-lasting. Unlike the shot, it activated the whole immune system, not just one piece. Studies now suggest repeated boosters may weaken immune function over time.
At the same time, diseases once thought conquered—like measles and polio—are making a comeback. Why? Waning immunity? Policy failures? A rush to abandon traditional vaccines in favor of experimental ones? These are the questions that need answers.
I am not against vaccines. I want them tested. I want people to have all the facts before they decide.
History warns us to be careful. In 1955, Cutter Laboratories failed to deactivate the polio virus in Salk’s vaccine fully. The result was tragic:
• 120,000 faulty doses were distributed.
• 40,000 children got mild polio.
• 200 were permanently paralyzed.
• 10 died.
That disaster led to stricter safety measures, yet today, those safeguards seem forgotten. The Biden administration pushed the shot hard, but rushing medicine has consequences.
There will be no more rushed shots, no more silencing debate, and safety, truth, and choice must come first, along with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines.